Literary Libations

Sometimes I pick cocktails the same way I used to bet on racehorses—based on a cool name.

Take the Anton Chigurh at Missoula’s Plonk. At soon as I saw that name, I had to have it. Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorite writers, and Chigurh (from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) is one of literature’s most nightmare-inducing villains. The drink—featuring tequila and mezcal—was like a shot from the bolt gun the Chigurh employed on his victims. I was a happy camper.

A few days later, I came across The Lolita at the Old Post Pub. With Quicksilver, St. Germaine, Champagne, and a splash of soda, it seemed a little too sweet to be worth ordering, despite LOLITA being another favorite—and Humbert Humbert another memorable villain.

I’m apt to grab a bottle of Steele’s Writer’s Block wine when I see it on a store shelf, so it can sit on my own shelf as a talisman against same. And the aptly named Writer’s Tears whiskey gives a nod both to the stereotype of real writers drinking their whiskey neat (none of those fancy cocktails, thank you)—and also to what happens if they imbibe too much.

That said, literary-themed cocktail recipes abound, from the Margarita Atwood, from Merrily Grashin’s WOMEN’S LIBATION!, to the Tequila Mockingbird.

Me, I only get to drink these things once in awhile. Otherwise, my writer’s tears would be the real thing, not Irish whiskey. But if you’re inclined to put off achieving your daily word count by Googling around for recipes as I just did, there are plenty to peruse and save for the day when you’ve got something to celebrate. Cheers.