‘The excitement of alcohol and the excitement of fantasy are very similar,’ John Cheever, the American novelist, stated a few decades ago. Writers have been embracing spirits for centuries.
We all have our favourite examples — Ernest Hemingway, the American novelist famous for The Old Man and the Sea loved mojitos. Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, didn’t go ‘gently into the night’ — he claimed to have downed 40 pints of beer on a particularly wild night.
And Oscar Wilde, the Irish playwright, probably penned The Importance of Being Earnest even as he knocked back shots of absinthe.
As it turns out, the newer crop of writers is not far behind. However, unlike the old-timers, they advocate restraint.
So if you are someone who enjoys the occasional sip teamed with a book (especially that signed copy you picked up at The Hindu Lit for Life), here are some literary figure-inspired suggestions.
Vodka
Deborah Levy — whose book Hot Milk was shortlisted for last year’s Man Booker Prize — shared with Britain’s reading initiative, BookTrust, that she loves the Russian spirit. As does Gary Shteyngart, the 2014 National Book Critics Circle awardee.
Our pick: Chase Vodka in either the marmalade or rhubarb flavours.
Beer
Stephen King once admitted to The Guardian that he only drinks beer at home because the bars are full of people like him.
Our pick: Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout
Whisky
According to CBC Books, Man Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood (for The Blind Assassin ) loves her single-malt scotch straight up.
Our pick: The Benromach 10
Wine
English novelist Ian McEwan (another Man Booker Prize winner, for Amsterdam ) told 101books.net that he loves wine, but only after 7.30 p.m.
“I’m not sure what this has to do with the writing process, but, hey, I like it,” he once remarked.
Our pick: Monchhof Urzig Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett from Mosel
