Today I have compiled 5 different recipes that are either based on books or are something that is talked about in the books. I tried to get a variety of cocktails (with various ingredients). The recipes are included of course. Let's dive in.
Gin Rickey from The Great Gatsby
Ingredients:
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Club soda, to top
Garnish: lime wheels
Directions:
Fill a highball glass with ice and add the gin and lime juice.
Top with club soda.
Garnish with 2 lime wheels.
There are many variations of a Gin Rickey, find the one that fits what you really like.
Butterbeer from Harry Potter
Ingredients:
1 ounce butterscotch schnapps
1 ounce vanilla vodka
6 ounces cream soda
Garnish: whipped cream
Garnish: butterscotch syrup
Garnish: butterscotch whipped cream (recipe below)
Directions:
Add butterscotch schnapps, vanilla vodka and cream soda into a frosty mug.
Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and butterscotch syrup drizzled on top, or top with butterscotch whipped cream.
Butterscotch Whipping Cream
In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream and 1-ounce butterscotch sundae topping or butterscotch syrup. Using a hand mixer, whip until soft peaks form.
Alternatively, you can also hand-whisk the ingredients until whipped cream forms. However, if available, the easiest option may be to put the heavy cream and butterscotch topping in a whipped cream dispenser, shake or stir lightly, to blast out fresh and foamy Butterbeer head on demand.
While usually a non-alcoholic beverage this version is just for the adults (obviously). There are many non-alcoholic versions online if you want to try one without the alcohol.
Raspberry Cordial from Anne of Green Gables
Ingredients:
2 pints raspberries
2/3 cup of sugar
2 tbsp triple sec
28 oz. good vodka
Directions:
Boil raspberries and sugar in a sauce pan until soft, smushing berries with the back of a spoon. Let berry sugar mixture cool and funnel it into a 32 oz. container. Add 2 tbs triple sec and fill remainder of the bottle with vodka. Shake and let sit for a minimum of 2 weeks.
After at least 2 weeks strain using a fine mesh sieve or a coffee filter. Be sure to squeeze berry mush thoroughly to get all of the good stuff out. Enjoy!
While Marilla’s cordial in the book isn’t alcoholic the recipe given here certainly is. It’s a perfect recipe to make now before good summer raspberries disappear into winter. And since the cordial has to soak for a minimum of two weeks, by the time you do drink it you’ll be neck-deep in chunky sweaters and needing a reminder of summer.
Hot Gin Punch from The Christmas Carol
Ingredients:
2 cups Hendrick’s gin
2 cups sweet Madeira wine
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, or more to taste
Peel and juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
Peel and juice of 1 orange
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes; taste and adjust the balance of flavors with more brown sugar or more lemon juice if desired.
Pour the mixture into a jug or teapot and serve warm.
Appropriately, punch is everywhere in Dickens’ novels, whenever a drop of good cheer is called for—from the pages of The Pickwick Papers to David Copperfield to Nicholas Nickleby. So there’s little doubt that Dickens put cups of his favorite holiday beverage into the hands of the Cratchit family, the proverbial poster children of holiday cheer. But now that we know Bob Cratchit was mixing much more than just lemons and gin, is his actual recipe for “perfect” punch relegated to the lost drinks of literature? Thanks to Cedric Dickens, the great-grandson of Charles, it is not. His book, Drinking With Dickens, which recreates the “delectable drinks” Dickensian characters would have enjoyed, also includes the famed author’s personal 1850 recipe for hot gin punch. So go ahead, indulge your literary fantasies: Turn up your cuffs like a self-respecting Cratchit and stir a draught of your own Christmas spirits.
Gin & Bennet from Pride & Prejudice
Ingredients:
1 ½ ounces gin
½ ounce crѐme de violette
½ ounce lemon juice
Sparkling wine
Edible blossoms for garnish
Directions:
In a shaker filled with ice, combine the gin, crѐme de violette, and lemon juice and shake well.
Strain into a coupe, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with edible blossoms.
From all that I could find this is just a drink based on the book, I don't think that it is mentioned in the book at all. You can find this recipe and more like it (i.e. Jane Austen-based drinks) in Gin Austen by Colleen Mullaney.
I hope that you try some of these drinks. I personally want to try the punch and the butterbeer but the Gin & Bennett also looks really good. Let me know if you try these or if you have a favorite cocktail based on a book.
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