As the winter months roll in, what's better than cozying up with a great book? Cozying up with a great book AND a drink to match. So crack open a book, crack open a bottle and enjoy these book and booze pairings.
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"For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemmingway(01 of11)
As the Spanish civil war wages on, take comfort in red wine from a goat skin just like all the bad-ass characters do. Let that be the limit of what you share though--drinking and blowing up bridges simply do not go well together.Supplies:1 bottle of Spanish Tempranillo wine.1 bota bag, or goatskinDirections:Pour as much of the bottle as possible into the wineskin. Take a long sip. Wipe off remaining wine on your mouth with your sleeve. Repeat.
"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin(02 of11)
Boil yourself some black tea with milk and spike the hell out of it with vodka. Like in the Pakistani proverb after which the book was named, having three of these will make you feeling the following towards the person with whom you are sharing drinks: like a stranger after the first cup, a friend after the second and family after the third. Welcome to your first case of Tea Goggles.Supplies:9 oz of boiling water1 black tea bag1.5 oz of vodka1 mugDirections:Pour 9 ounces of boiling water into a mug. Place teabag into mug. Let steep for three minutes. Make sure no one is looking and pour 1.5 ounces of vodka into the mug. Act like it's just regular tea.
"Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler(03 of11)
Chelsea's nothing if not a straightforward gal. She says, if you wanna get drunk and keep that figure, you've got to stick with her drink of choice: vodka on ice with lemon. Follow her advice and get some.Supplies:4 oz vodka1 wedge of lemonA few ice cubes1 tumblerDirections:Pour vodka over the ice into the tumbler. Add a wedge of lemon. Drink. Repeat.
"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer(04 of11)
No fangs are necessary to enjoy this bloody cocktail. Rip into a glass of Jägermeister and pomegranate juice and let it drizzle down your chin for full vampire effect. Supplies:1 8 oz bottle of pomegranate juice4 oz of JägermeisterA pinch of saltA sauce pan and heat source1 thermometer1 tankard Directions:Heat pomegranate juice and Jägermeister in a sauce pan to 98.6 degrees Farenheit. (Use the thermometer to be certain of temperature.) Once to desired heat, pour into your tankard. Add a pinch of salt. Imbibe.
"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (05 of11)
Drink whatever you please! Just make sure that someone else makes it for you, brings it to you and clears it away.Supplies:1-20 servants, maids, butlers, housekeepers, etc.Directions:Have your house staff do the shopping. Call someone over, maybe with a bell or snap of your fingers and ask for a drink. (This may require a temporary southern accent.) Have said drink brought to you and then taken away when you're finished.
"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell(06 of11)
Fill your glass to the very brim with an extremely trendy and how-the-hell-did-it-become-so-popular-so-fast kind of drink like coconut water. Add rum so the pop science will be FASCINATING.Supplies:15 oz coconut water3 oz rumA few ice cubes1 Collins glassDirections:Pour coconut water and rum over ice. It might spill over, but that's the POINT. Stir and enjoy.
"Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert(07 of11)
Take a journey of self-transformation with a flight of booze carefully crafted to match each country of Gilbert's expedition. Red wine for the indulgence in Italy, a green mar-tea-ni for the spiritual and physical cleanse in India, and the classic Baliniese-tourist-mistake-drink, an arak attack, for finding love in Bali. If you have multiples of any, you just might hallucinate Javier Bardem by the end too.Supplies:5 oz of Italian red table wine1 red wine glass2 oz lemon vodka½ oz of Gran Mariner Orange Liqueur1 oz of chilled green tea1 martini glassA few ice cubes1 martini shaker3 oz arak (a traditional Balinese booze)¼ oz grenadinedash of orange juice1 slice of an orangeGawdy looking tropical cocktail glass1 banana leafDirections:Wine: pour wine into the glass. (This is the simplest.)Green tea martini: pour lemon vodka, Gran Mariner and chilled green tea into the shaker over ice. Shake it up. Pour into the martini glass.Arak attack: pour arak, grendadine, and dash of orange juice into the gawdy looking tropical cocktail glass over ice. Stir and place in the orange for style. Enjoy.Put all these onto a banana leaf and sit cross legged.
"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov(08 of11)
Invoke the early innocence of "Lolita" by enjoying a Shirley Temple. If you've already crossed to the dark side, go ahead and spike it with your booze of choice, you dirty old man.Supplies:4 oz of lemon lime soda of choice2 oz of ginger ale1 dash and half of grenadine1 maraschino cherry1 cocktail umbrellaA few ice cubes1 Collins glassDirections:Pour soda, ginger ale and grenadine over ice. Stir once and add a maraschino cherry. Top with a cocktail umbrella.
"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess(09 of11)
Put on some false eyelashes and a bowler hat, and enjoy a tall glass of Milk-Plus. Side effects may include creepiness, violent outbursts and a penchant for Beethoven.Supplies:8 oz whole milk1 1.9 oz 5-Hour Energy bottle1.5 oz vodkaA few ice cubes1 Collins glass1 daggerDirections:Pour vodka, 5-Hour Energy bottle and milk over ice into the Collins glass. Stir with a dagger. Enjoy.
"Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser(10 of11)
Go to your nearest McDonald's, and get the biggest serving of Coke they offer. Add Jack Daniels and stir with either the straw or a fry. (You know you couldn't resist those once you were already there.)Supplies:1 large Coke from McDonald's with ice included 1 fifth of Jack Daniels Whiskey in a brown bagSuper-sized fries Directions:Drink down your Coke a little bit. Go into the bathroom with your bottle of Jack, find an empty stall and pour in desired amount. (Traditional cocktail ratios suggest for a 32 oz McDonald's large soda one would want approx. 6.5 oz of booze but you're pouring this in the bathroom stall of some McDonald's so who's really counting?) When you're back to your table, stir with either your straw or one of those fries.
"To Timbuktu" by Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg(11 of11)
Crack open any cheap beer and hit the road with us in our book "To Timbuktu." It's our drink of choice everywhere from Beijing to Bangkok to of course, Timbuktu. Supplies:1 copy of "To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story" (Don't own it already? Buy it here.)1 22-25 oz. bottle of local beer Directions:Open the beer, open the book. Drink, read, enjoy.
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