Mixing cocktails with the literati

Once upon a time, drinking seemed like an author’s duty, an indulgence that defined the literary life. Of course, the era of the innocent cocktail has ended, but the scent of spirits nevertheless wafts through the work of many of our most prized writers. In a toast to the literary giants who turned the consumption of alcohol into an art, author Mark Bailey and artist Edward Hemingway have produced one of the most appealing gift books of the season, Hemingway and Bailey’s Bartending Guide to Great American Writers. Featuring famous imbibers such as William Faulkner, James Jones, Sinclair Lewis, Dorothy Parker, and, of course, Ernest Hemingway, the guide includes recipes for each author’s cocktail of choice, as well as hard-to-top tales of intoxication and classic drinking quotes ( I have a martini, the poet Anne Sexton once said, and I feel, once more, real. ). Hemingway, grandson of Papa and an accomplished illustrator, contributed uncannily accurate author caricatures to the book, while Bailey rounded up the material, spotlighting 43 writers and 43 different drinks. Pick your poison, dear reader, and get mixing.