If you are a real dork like me, you like to make an event out of things. And I like to make an event out of my favorite things. Movies and TV are chief among them. As a boozer, one of the ways I celebrate such occasions is by pairing drinks with media. For me, this is pairing the drink to the themes or the characters of the film or television show. It’s fun to partner ourselves with charterers from the films and television shows we enjoy
Here’s a list of pairings based on things I’ve watched recently:
Mad Men
This is one of my all-time favorite series. And alcohol is one of the central elements of it. For many of the characters, their alcoholism is one of their tragic flaws, but their office drinking is also one of the elements that transports you to the 1960s and reminds you that these characters live in a different time and place from us. For this I really look at two of the principle cast members, Don Draper and Roger Sterling. Don drinks old fashions and Roger drinks vodka martinis. These are two very different drinks and although I am not a fan of martinis, I am quite happy to have an old fashion from time to time.
Hell or High Water
This is most definitely my favorite film of the year, it’s my frontrunner for best picture, and it is one of the two I showed my family on Thanksgiving. The characters in this film are from West Texas. They’re salt of the earth, hardworking people. They work on their cars and fix shit themselves. Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine’s characters are both viewed drinking Shiner Bock, a Texas favorite. Bock’s are lagers brewed with more hop flavor and character than most of their counterparts. The brew is not particularly good, but their preference of beer, opens the concept that the characters are blue collar, down to earth folks. For this film, bourbon and beer are the logical choices.
The Nice Guys
This is a film that would never win best picture, but should seriously be considered due to its strong performances, phenomenal direction, and unique writing. This is for me, the most enjoyable, funniest, and most idiosyncratic films of the last few years. For this picture, I would argue that we should all be drinking whiskey like Holland March or anything which is also what Holland March drinks. This is film noir where you make stiff beverages and don’t complain about it.
James Bond Series
Bond is an alcoholic and I don’t blame him for drowning away his sorrows in spirits. Here are a few drinks to grab if you are re-watching any of his escapades: the vesper martini, the old fashioned, the scotch and soda, and the vodka martini. These drinks come from the novels and the films, in which he drinks quite a bit and still manages to beat the bad guys. Respect for that. Bond is the drunk hero we all look up to.
The Big Lebowski
Do I need to explain it? He’s the fuckin’ Dude. The Dude drinks White Russians. This is the first cocktail I ever drank. It’s a story. Not one I’d care to share. It’s also the story of a film that made a drink into an iconic drink. It’s delicious and anyone can drink them. What else do I have to say?
