The Book Examiner's ultimate guide to pairing alcohol and literature: read, drink, and be merry

October 20, 3:28 AMBook ExaminerMichelle Kerns

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The consumption of alcoholic beverages isn't just a coincidentally recurring quirk in the literary world: it's downright traditional. For many famous writers of the past and present, a cocktail glass is as at home in their hand as a pen. Consider Ernest Hemingway who said,

A man does not exist until he is drunk.

Or William Faulkner:

Civilization begins with distillation.

And, famously, F.Scott Fitzgerald who spent the majority of his writing career (and life) in a state of perpetual tipsiness:

First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.

With this in mind, there can only be one logical way to truly enjoy a book--with an adult beverage in hand. However, don't think just any old drink can be paired with your tome of choice; sipping the wrong drink while reading is tantamount to serving Chardonnay with nachos or Budweiser with Osso Bucco--an outrage to the drink and to the book.

Determining which drinks are appropriate for which works of literature can be a touchy decision, and infinitely harder than figuring what wine to serve with Gorgonzola or pot roast; lucky for you, the Book Examiner has labored long and hard to find the perfect combinations.

Read, drink, and be merry. 

Pairing books with beer

Pairing books with wine

Pairing books with cocktails and hard liquor

 I am not a heavy drinker. I can sometimes go for hours without touching a drop. - Noel Coward