Death Proof
MARGARITA AND CHARTREUSE
A lot of sloppy drinking (and nacho scarfing) goes down in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. A clan of ill-fated beauties make the mistake of mixing margaritas with Chartreuse shots and their night takes a nose dive, but that doesn’t mean yours has to. Tequila and Chartreuse can work in awesome tandem, especially when a little lime is thrown into the mix to bring it all together.
1½ oz blanco tequila
¼ oz green Chartreuse
¼ oz agave syrup
¾ oz fresh lime
Pinch of salt
Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and half-rimmed with salt. Prey – that is to say, pray – for the best.
Casablanca
FRENCH 75
There’s no way around it – most of Casablanca takes place in a bar. Brandy, Champagne, Cointreau, bourbon – the viewer can barely keep up with the perpetual drinking. I’ll bring the triteness full circle with this adage: If you can’t beat the dipsomania, join it. You can start right now with a Casablanca 75.
1 oz brandy (Cognac, Armagnac or Spanish stuff)
½ oz Cointreau
½ oz fresh lemon
1 dash of simple syrup
Top with Champagne or sparkling wine.
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Some Like It Hot
THE MANHATTAN
It’s fitting that the Manhattan, king of nightcaps, was actually mixed in a bunk bed after lights out by Marilyn Monroe’s Sugar Kane in this hilarious classic. Her potion included bourbon, sweet vermouth and hunks of hand-chipped ice. The only thing keeping her from being a world-class mixologist was the absence a few essential dashes of Angostura bitters. The moral? Carry a teeny-tiny bottle of bitters with you always.
2 oz bourbon or rye whisky
1 oz sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or plastic cup. Garnish with a cherry if you have it.
Trainspotting
BOILERMAKER
A brutal movie full of base but oh so wounded humans deserves a self-loathing, hardcore but simultaneously soothing concoction. Enter the Boilermaker, a harmonious and potentially aggressive mashup of beer and whisky. This likely explosive combo is what sends Begbie over the edge – well, that and his inherent insanity – in one of Trainspotting’s most disturbing later scenes.
1 shot whisky dropped in
a pint of beer
Or, alternatively, enjoyed side by side.
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
SINGAPORE SLING
When Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp as Hunter Thompson) is first summoned to Vegas, he and his equally debauched attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), are smashing Singapore Slings backed by mezcal on the patio of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Try the classic version mixed with gin. But If you’re up for a little adventure, try dabbling in the mezcal adaptation.
1 oz mezcal
½ oz Cherry Heering
½ oz Bénédictine
1 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash chocolate bitters
Shake and strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with soda. Garnish with an orange wheel, a cherry, a cocktail umbrella or “whatever.”
Groundhog Day
VERMOUTH ON THE ROCKS WITH A TWIST
Bill Murray, that charming bastard, gets the jump on Andie MacDowell’s flowery Roman nostalgia when they revisit her favourite drink – sweet vermouth on the rocks with a lemon twist – at the same bar at the same time on the same Groundhog Day. Technically it’s not a cocktail, but good vermouth is flavourful enough to stand on its own. From the LCBO, dry Dolin Rouge or Cinzano. If you’re in a well-stocked bar, seek De Muller, Carpano, Guerra or Casa Mariol. Lemon twist optional.
Cocktail
RED EYE
Ah, Cocktail. The ultimate example of just how lovable 80s cheese can be. When Brian Flanagan (a young and handsome pre-Scientology Tom Cruise) is desperately trying to remedy a bartender’s hangover (which is way more devastating than the average hangover, for those unacquainted with one), his surly, jaded but super-smart bar mentor, Doug Coughlin, mixes him up a Red Eye and saves his life.
1 oz (or more) vodka
5-6 oz tomato juice
1 can beer
1 raw egg (optional, ugh)
Spices to taste (again, optional)
Build ingredients in a pint glass and down as rapidly as your gag reflex allows.
The Big Lebowski
WHITE RUSSIAN
White Russians are never so enjoyable as when consumed in the spirit of the Big Lebowski (Jeff Bridges). Dairy is a difficult cocktail ingredient, but if coffee and cream are the perfect morning pick-me-up, then milky Kahlúa spiked with a little vodka isn’t a far stretch. Substitute milk if you’re worried about turning into an overweight stoner like Lebowski.
1½ oz vodka
¾ oz Kahlúa
¾ oz cream (or full-fat milk)
Build in an old-fashioned glass over ice. Stir with your pinky as you roll a joint.
The Great Gatsby
GIN RICKEY
Whatever the medium, book or film, The Great Gatsby brims with cocktails. One of the most refreshing – in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel it’s the featured drink on the sweltering afternoon Daisy confesses her love to Gatsby – is the Gin Rickey. They drank it “in long, greedy, swallows,” by the way. Rickeys, sometimes referred to as highballs, are also the chosen poison in the speakeasy scene in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of Gatsby.
2 oz London gin
Juice of half a lime
Soda or seltzer
Build ingredients in a tall glass with ice. After squeezing the lime, toss in the rind to take advantage of all those aromatic oils.
Rushmore
CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Wes Anderson, lord of (occasionally forced) quirk, showcases the classic Champagne cocktail in his 1998 cult film. The underage Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman in his debut film role) downs this vintage cocktail throughout the film. What’s Anderson about if not symbolic idiosyncrasies?
1 sugar cube
4-5 dashes Angostura bitters
5 oz Champagne or sparkling wine
Douse sugar cube with bitters in a flute. Top with chilled Champagne. Repeat.
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