Books and Booze: Literary Cocktails in Classic Books

Literary Cocktails in Classic Books

Discover the recipes for these literary cocktails from classic books, featured in novels like The Great Gatsby and A Christmas Carol.

Drinks often play a key role in setting the scene in classic books, deepening character development, or reflecting the cultural landscape. These literary cocktails are inspired by famous authors and their classic works. Elevate your next dinner party by serving these drinks and let the cocktails spark conversation and transport you into Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age, Hemingway’s Prohibition Era, or Dickens’ Victorian London.

Fitzgerald's Gin Rickey

Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby captures the glamour and decadence of the Roaring Twenties. The Gin Rickey, a simple and refreshing mix of gin, lime, and soda, was a popular drink during that era. This literary cocktail embodies the carefree spirit and effervescence of Gatsby’s lavish parties.

‘Tom came back, preceding four gin rickeys that clicked full of ice.

Gatsby took up his drink.

“They certainly look cool,” he said, with visible tension.

We drank in long, greedy swallows.’

 – The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Gin Rickey Recipe

(Bar glass.)

1/2 lime.

1 lump of ice.

1 drink of dry gin.

Fill with carbonic.

Fitzgerald’s Mint Julep

Another literary cocktail from The Great Gatsby, the Mint Julep is synonymous with Southern charm and decadence. This rum-based drink, served with crushed ice and fresh mint, is famously featured during a heated confrontation between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan.

‘Open the whiskey, Tom, and I’ll make you a mint julep. Then you won’t seem so stupid to yourself’

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Mint Julep

(Large bar glass.)

1 teaspoon of sugar

Add enough water to dissolve sugar

3 sprays fresh mint, press until extracted

½ glass of ice

100% rye whiskey

1 dash Jamaica rum.

Place four sprigs of fresh mint on top, trim with fruit in season, serve with straws.

Dickens' Whisky Toddy

Charles Dickens often featured alcohol in his novels, reflecting the social and cultural habits of Victorian England. In The Pickwick Papers, the Whisky Toddy is a warm, comforting drink that speaks to the camaraderie and joviality of the characters.

‘The young ladies tittered and giggled, and the old lady laughed out loud, and the bailie and the other old fellows roared till they were red in the face, the whole mortal time. I don’t quite recollect how many tumblers of whiskey-toddy each man drank after supper; but this I know, that about one o’clock in the morning, the bailie’s grown-up son became insensible’

 – The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens

Whiskey Toddy Recipe

Use small bar glass.

One teaspoon of sugar dissolved in cold water, lump of ice, one wine glass of whiskey; stir and serve.

Hemingway's Jack Rose

Ernest Hemingway, known for his love of adventure and spirits, frequently wrote about drinks in his novels. In The Sun Also Rises, the Jack Rose captures the bittersweet tone of the story. The literary cocktail’s bold, fruity flavour mirrors the novel’s themes of disillusionment and longing.

‘At five o’clock I was in the Hotel Crillon waiting for Brett. She was not there, so I sat down and wrote some letters. They were not very good letters but I hoped their being on Crillon stationery would help them. Brett did not turn up, so about quarter to six I went down to the bar and had a Jack Rose with George the barman.’

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

Jack Rose Recipe

10 dashes Raspberry Syrup

10 dashes Lemon Juice

5 dashes Orange Juice

Juice of 1/2 lime

75% Cider Brandy.

Fill glass with cracked ice, shake and strain, fill with fizz water and serve.

Dickens' Smoking Bishop

The Smoking Bishop is a classic Victorian mulled wine punch that makes an appearance in Dickens’ beloved holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. Made with red wine, citrus, and warming spices, it’s a drink that evokes the spirit and joy of Christmas.

‘A merry Christmas, Bob!’ said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. ‘A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop’

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Smoking Bishop Recipe

‘Roast a dozen Oranges till they are of a brownish color, lay them in a punch bowl, pour over them a pound and a half of powdered sugar and a quart bottle of Claret, cover this over and let it stand one day, when ready set it in a pan of boiling water, press the juice from the Oranges and strain; add a pint more of Claret well heated to the strained. The glasses drank out of should be warmed.’