67: Relapse Sangria
Good Material by Dolly Alderton (2024, UK)
Whitney named this coctail after a pivotal moment of weakness for both Andy and Jen, fueled by a sangria. You should know by now that Whitney doesn’t skimp on quality, so this is not your typical sangria—it’s top shelf all the way, and by far the most delicious sangria I’ve ever had.
To make a Relapse Sangria, slice up an orange into wheels, chop an apple, and place that with a stick of cinnamon into a glass carafe. Add the juice from one orange, ¼ cup triple sec, ¼ cup brandy, an entire bottle of Spanish Tempranillo or Garnacha, and stir. Chill in the refrigerator or add ice. When serving, garnish red wine goblets with slices of orange, apple, a sprig of mint, and after pouring in the sangria, add club soda to taste.
66: Poet’s Dream
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024, US)
Martyr!‘s themes of sobriety, recovery, and service compelled Whitney to choose service—that is, service to our drink-loving listenership—when she selected the classic cocktail Poet’s Dream for this month’s novel pairing. The name Poet’s Dream refers to the poet Kaveh Akbar’s many dream sequences in this, his first novel.
To make a Poet’s Dream, stir together 1 oz gin, 1 oz dry vermouth, ½ oz Benedictine, and 2 dashes of bitters in an ice-filled mixer glass then strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon peel.
65: Pomegranate Inferno
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (2023, US)
Whitney created this month’s cocktail specifically for Let Us Descend, and she calls it the Pomegranate Inferno, using a fruit with biblical overtones that resembles a red honeycomb, and referencing Dante’s descent into hell, just as Ward did in her novel.
To make a Pomegranate Inferno, stir together in a highball glass 1½ oz vodka, 2½ oz pomegranate juice, 2 oz Prosecco, 1 oz rosemary-infused simple syrup, top with a few teaspoons of fresh pomegranate seeds, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
64: Brain Hemorrhage
Holly by Stephen King (2023, US)
Whitney tried so hard to make the Brain Hemorrhage shooter, which looks eerily like blood-soaked brains floating in ether—so on-point for this horror story—but after many failed attempts we just ended up drinking Bailey’s straight. Kind of on point, considering how spectacularly Roddy Harris’s experiments also failed.
To make a Brain Hemorrhage, pour 1 oz. peach schnapps into a shot glass. Using a spoon to avoid splashing, carefully pour ½ oz almost frozen Irish creme on top to create a layer of brains. Drizzle a few drops of grenadine over the brains to resemble blood. Shoot it, trying to ignore the congealed glob of Irish creme.
63: Blood & Sand
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (2023, US)
The blood of family and the sand of Tom Lake are referenced in the name of this classic cocktail, invented in 1930 and named after a movie (how on point!). Whitney used 10-year-old Glenmorangie single-malt and blood orange juice for an autumnal reddish-orange hue.
To make a Blood & Sand, mix ¾ oz. non-peaty scotch, ¾ oz. sweet vermouth, ¾ ounce Cherry Heering, and ¾ ounce orange juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a cold martini glass and garnish with an orange peel.
62: Corpse Reviver #2
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2023, US)
Whitney’s Fourth Wing drink pairing has a similar name to the plot twist in Chapter 39, is golden yellow like the dragon Andarna, and contains a botanist gin Violet would appreciate as well as an orange liqueur that Jack would not.
To make a Corpse Reviver #2, rinse the inside of a chilled coupe with absinthe, discard the excess, and set the glass aside. Into a shaker with ice add ¾ oz The Botanist dry gin, ¾ oz Lillet Blanc, ¾ oz Cointreau, ¾ oz lemon juice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the coupe and garnish with a lemon peel.
61: Sacrificial Lamb
Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright (2023, US)
To pair with Mr. Texas Whitney has re-christened a hickory-smoked Old Fashioned the Sacrificial Lamb in honor of Sonny’s selfless devotion to bulls, horses, the Texas House, and anyone else in need of salvation.
To make a Sacrificial Lamb, mix 2 oz good bourbon—the best you can afford, ½ oz orange- and lemon-infused simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1-2 Amarena cherries, plus a bit of their syrup, in a rocks glass with ice. Stir for four minutes until the ice begins to melt. Place the cocktail in a smoker of your choice and try not to set your damn barn on fire. Garnish with an orange peel and serve.
60: Appropriation
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (2023, US)
For Yellowface Whitney created this cocktail by appropriating its main ingredient—pandan—directly from Athena’s fatal pancakes. No worries, though: we paced ourselves and no one choked.
To make an Appropriation cocktail, mix 1 ½ oz. citrus-forward gin (we used Leopold Bros. Summer Gin), ½ oz. Cherry Heering, ¾ oz. pineapple juice, ½ oz. fresh lime juice, ½ oz. orange juice, ½ oz. pandan syrup (with coconut) over ice, add two dashes angostura bitters and garnish with a pandan leaf or a pineapple leaf. Fling one back when you have a duty to prove you’re having a good time.
59: Paloma
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (2023, US)
Whitney chose the Paloma to pair with Romantic Comedy because one of its main ingredients is the grapefruit seltzer that Sally drinks when she’s with Noah, who’s a teetotaler. We, however, can’t resist adding tequila and lime.
To make a Paloma, stir 4 oz. grapefruit soda together with 2 oz. tequila and 1 oz. fresh lime juice. Serve over ice and garnish with a salt rim and a slice of lime.
58: Tekiwi
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (2023, NZ)
For this month’s novel-drink pairing, Whitney has chosen the tequila-kiwi Tekiwi to go with Birnam Wood. A kiwi is a bird, a fruit, and the nickname New Zealanders answer to, even when being chased by drones.
To make a Tekiwi, muddle an entire peeled kiwi with ½ oz. simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add 3 oz. fresh lime sweet and sour mix, 2 oz. of Patrón Silver Tequila, and ice. Shake well, double-strain into a tumbler filled with ice, and garnish with mint. Perfect for drinking at your next hui.
57: Cardamom Old Fashioned
Victory City by Salman Rushdie (2023, UK)
Whitney chose the Cardamom Old Fashioned to go with Victory City because in addition to the cardamom and cinnamon spices evoking Pampa’s mother’s immolation, bourbon just happens to be one of Rushdie’s favorite tipples.
To make a Cardamom Old Fashioned you’ll need: 4 teaspoons cardamom simple syrup (cane sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, lemon peel, and vanilla), 3 dashes angostura bitters, 2 ounces bourbon, and a lemon peel. Swirl syrup and bitters around in glass. Add ice, bourbon, lemon peel, and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Delicious!
56: Beet Down
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022, US)
For this month’s novel-drink pairing, Whitney has chosen the Beet Down cocktail to go with Lessons in Chemistry. Although Elizabeth Zott was continually “beat down” by the nasty men in her life, she didn’t let their actions define her. This cocktail is bursting with flavor and bursting through our cocktail shaker, too. . . well, you’ll have to listen to the podcast to learn more.
To make a Beet Down, shake together ¼ oz. tarragon-infused honey, ½ oz. ginger syrup, ¾ oz. lemon juice, and 1 ½ oz. of beet-infused gin with ice. Serve with a sprig of tarragon. This drink was invented by Boulder’s own JL Distilling. Their original recipe and more cocktails can be found on their website.
55: Last Word
Trust by Hernan Diaz (2022, US)
For Trust Whitney chose the Last Word, a prohibition-era cocktail first mixed together at the Detroit Athletic Club’s bar in the early 1920s. This drink evokes both the setting of Trust and also its final section when Mildred gets the last word.
To make the Last Word, shake together ¾ oz. gin, ¾ oz. green Chartreuse, ¾ oz. maraschino liqueur, ¾ oz. freshly-squeezed lime juice, and ice, then strain it into a chilled coupe and garnish with a skewered Amarena cherry. It has a distinctive and complex flavor profile, with a fine line between sweet and tart.
54: Empress & Tonic
Avalon by Nell Zink (2022, US)
The cocktail for our first podcast episode is a McBride house favorite: a classic G&T made with Empress 1908 Indigo Gin. Just as this naturally-blue spirit turns a lovely pinkish-purple when mixed with FeverTree Elderflower Tonic, so too does Bran’s life transform when she meets Peter.
To make the Empress & Tonic, mix 2 oz. gin with 3 oz. tonic, serve over ice and garnish with a slice of grapefruit or lime.