LITERARY DRINKERS

 

My interest in all things alcoholic is well known, as is my passion for the written word.  

Notwithstanding the current crisis caused by the Coronavirus, I love nothing more than a cosy night at home on my own, curled up with a good book and a glass of wine.  

With plans for the 5^th Ilminster Literary Festival well and truly scuppered this year, we are actively working on a great line up of authors for whenever we can hold our next one.  

We always aim to have authors, both local and from further afield, that will stimulate our minds and entertain us. It was a delight this year to hear from the winner of our writing competition, Alison Templeton from Norton-sub-Hamdon, that she ‘started creative writing through the festival: during the 2016 festival I went to the creative writing workshop led by Rachel Godfrey, and have been writing ever since.’ Just what we hoped to achieve.   

It is universally accepted that many of us myself included, have become rather fond of the bottle since lockdown. This got me thinking about certain famous writers who have been known to be partial to a tipple, or two.  

There is plenty of evidence that some of our most prodigious and famous authors had, shall we say, a little drink problem. Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams, Dylan Thomas, Edgar Allan Poe, James Joyce, the list is endless. It has not escaped my attention that the key protagonists tend to be men! 

There is of course the argument that alcohol, in moderation, helps to oil the wheels when it comes to mental activity and unleashing that creative genius we all so admire. According to one study, alcohol can actually increase creative cognition and improves problem-solving skills too. Many writers say that alcohol helps to rid them of inhibitions, enabling them to write more freely, and to survive the solitary life of a writer.  

I have an enquiring mind and sometimes all it takes is one simple question to gather the most interesting information, so this summer I asked a number of the authors we had earmarked to appear at the Lit. Fest. what their favourite tipple is. Here is a taste of what is still to come. 

Poet Melanie Branton, had this to say –  

‘In my last collection, I included a paean to my favourite drink. As I am Somerset-bred, the
choice was a no-brainer.’
I'm optimally placed
when embroiled and encased
in the ambit of cider's pure amber embrace.

I'd rather drink cider than soda or juices,
its sedulous sedative soothes and seduces,
so don't be sadistic and suddenly say
I have to drink soda, not cider, today. 

Crossword setter for The Times, Tim Moorey, who was all geared up to provide tips on solving cryptic crosswords, tells me that he believes in everything in moderation and survives on a morning cup of Twinings Decaf Breakfast Tea, with a Cointreau in the evening; just the one mind, and not every night. 

In addition to sharing his knowledge of the history and techniques of opera Professional Opera singer Tim Mirfin, was keen to expand on his favourite tipple: 

‘After brief reflection I am going to plum for a big, fat, round red wine, a Barolo. This is not a
particularly well-reasoned choice but one based on happy memories. It conjures up long,
blissfully unrushed, multi-coursed meals in large groups basking in Italian sunshine and
wallowing in the feeling that this is how we should all be living. Drinking it in cold, dark,
rain-sodden British winters still can't dim the association. It also feels, to me at least, a treat
drink, the prospect of an indulgence of tragic rarity. Heavy Italian reds are the sort of thing
professional singers need to allow themselves only once they've checked in their diary
that the succeeding day is reasonably clear - especially if you have finally acquired enough
self-knowledge to be sure that it won't just be the one glass...’     

The Noir Collective, a group of three award-winning writers of psychological fiction, also shared their secret tipples with me.  

Katharine Johnson prefers an Aperol spritz, ‘Because it reminds me of happy times in Italy where two of my books are set.’
G D Harper, a man after my own heart, plumped for an Underberg, a quirky German herbal digestif which is sold in little 20ml. bottles. Devotees of the drink collect bottle tops which they send to the company, receiving exclusive merchandise in return. He is the proud owner of a leather Underberg bullet belt which holds 12 bottles. Ideal party wear!
Finally, Helen Matthews gets us thinking beyond some of the miserable weather we have been experiencing. ‘On a summer evening it has to be gin and tonic, preferably with Bombay Sapphire gin, unflavoured tonic and a slice of lime. The distillery, at Laverstoke Mill, Hampshire, close to where I live, is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was a paper mill from 1719 before it was converted into a distillery.’ 

And as for me, I am rather partial to a Negroni, made with equal measures of gin, red vermouth and Campari, garnished with orange peel.  

With such a diverse group of writers at our disposal, this winter, I am very much looking forward to snuggling up by the fire with a good book, and a glass of something that will warm the cockles of my heart. 

Happy reading.