Match book favorites with cocktails you serve.
Get your inspiration going with Tequila Mockingbird, Cocktails with a Literary Twist (Running Press, March 2013) by Tim Federle.
Re-read classic 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (free ebook) or watch 1954 movie after you serve this recipe.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Breeze
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) By Jules Verne
Translated, adapted, sometimes even copied (see: Finding Nemo, among others), this dazzling adventure by Jules Verne, the French father of science fiction, was shockingly prescient in its depiction of future underwater technologies. A time-tested tale of “Boy meets fish, fish turns out to be secret submarine, submarine never lets boy leave because now he knows too much,” Twenty Thousand Leagues sends readers into chilly ocean depths, where they meet eccentric scientists, memorable sea monsters, and one very unforgiving whirlpool. Swirl up your grandfather’s Sea Breeze recipe with a little carbonation—and settle old scores by serving this one with calamari.
1 ½ ounces vodka
2 ounces grapefruit juice
2 ounces cranberry juice
1 (12-ounce) can club soda
Combine the vodka and juices over ice in a highball glass, and fill to the top with the club soda. Drink slowly to avoid the bends—and come up for air every now and then, diver boy.
Tim Federle's effort reminds me of Booking Bands by creative minds at Coudal in Chicago who matched books and bands.
(*Recipe reprinted with permission from TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD © 2013 by Tim Federle, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group)