Reading, writing and drinking — ‘A Sidecar Named Desire’ offers the perfect trio

Reading, writing and drinking — ‘A Sidecar Named Desire’ offers the perfect trio

The holiday season started with a cup of cheer.

Then there was a sip of wassail, some mistletoe and wine, and rummy-tum-tum along the way. It’ll likely end with a cup of kindness yet for Auld Lang Syne and a pretty nice headache. The only thing left to do, then, as in the new book “A Sidecar Named Desire” by Greg Clarke and Monte Beauchamp, is to write about it.

Imagine the surprise felt by one of our ancient ancestors who put a few grapes aside for a snack later. She must’ve been angry at first — and then pleasantly surprised.

Her discovery, and those that came after her, have been decried by “temperance zealots” throughout the years; Prohibition was a big thing and abstinence is promoted even now. And yet, say Clarke and Beauchamp, “considerable” evidence points to a tie between drinking and “great writing.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Ancient Roman poets loved their wine, for instance, and Shakespeare was a big fan. Thomas Jefferson ordered cases and cases of it on a visit to France, and author Roald Dahl not only drank it, but he wrote a short story about wine, too.

Beer was once used in lieu of a paycheck in ancient Egypt, but Greeks and Romans claimed that beer was “inferior” to wine. Even so, say the authors, Jack London loved his suds and Jane Austen made beer using a common ingredient available in her back yard. Norman Mailer claimed to “need” a beer every afternoon.

If you’ve ever wondered which came first, author Michael Veach says bourbon’s name came from Bourbon Street. Langston Hughes was said to have love a glass of it, and William Faulkner listed whiskey as one of his writing tools. Gin and tonic seems to have been a P.G. Wodehouse creation. E.B. White had a martini when suffering from writer’s block and Ian Fleming “inadvertently” helped vodka sales with James Bond’s martini instructions. Among other things, Hemingway loved Bloody Marys, Kerouac enjoyed margaritas, Steven King once said that alcohol use made for a “better writer,” and Hunter S. Thompson drank (mostly) bourbon and scotch. And Tolstoy?

Nope, he was a teetotaler.

A roaring fire, a glass of wine, and a good book. Is there a better trio? When the book is “A Sidecar Named Desire,” the answer is an emphatic “no.”

In beginning each chapter with a history of the proceeding alcohol at hand, authors Greg Clarke and Monte Beauchamp peek into the glasses of writers from antiquity to modern-day, literature to light reading. These are tasty sip-at-leisure chapters, more continuous sidebar than paragraphical, and perfect for browsing or a quick dip made possible by drawings that indicate a jigger of lightheartedness is shaken, not stirred in. And if you really like to get involved in your reading and want the full experience, there are recipes to try. Salud!

Imbibers and abstainers alike will love learning about their favorite writers in “A Sidecar Named Desire,” so have a little serving. Auld acquaintance may’ve been “forgot” but this is a book you won’t.

More in Life

These monster cookie-inspired granola bars are soft, chewy and tasty enough to disguise all the healthy nuts, oats and seeds. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Fueling the fearless

My son’s adventurous nature unfortunately does not extend to his diet.

Isla Crouse stands with her award for winning the City of Soldotna’s “I Voted” Sticker Design Contest at the Soldotna Progress Days Block Party in Parker Park in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna launches second annual ‘I Voted’ sticker design contest

The stickers will be distributed at city polling places.

A bagpiper helps kick off the Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
St. Patrick’s Day Parade brings out the green

The annual event featured decorated cars and trucks, youth marchers and decked-out celebrants.

After Red Cleaver, in 1959, helped Poopdeck Platt add 30 inches to the stern of his fishing vessel, the Bernice M, Platt took his boat out onto the waters of Kachemak Bay. (Photo courtesy of Ken Moore)
Poopdeck: Nearly a century of adventure — Part 5

Clarence Hiram “Poopdeck” Platt had already experienced two bad years in a row, when misfortune struck again in 1967.

This decadent, creamy tiramisu is composed of layers of coffee-soaked homemade lady fingers and mascarpone cheese with a cocoa powder topping. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A fancy dessert for an extra-special birthday

This dessert is not what I usually make for his birthday, but I wanted to make him something a little fancier for 35

File
Minster’s Message: Will all things really work for your good?

Most of us have experienced having a door of opportunity or a door of happiness closed.

Larry Opperman, host of “Growing a Greener Kenai” radio show on local public radio station KDLL 91.9 FM, shows off a carrot. (Photo provided)
Local gardener shares love of growing on radio show

“Growing a Greener Kenai” runs the first and third Saturday of each month, starting April 5.

Attendees admire “Neon Poppies” by Chelline Larsen during the opening reception for “Infusion” at the Kenai Art Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Finding fusion

Kenai Art Center juried show challenges artists to incorporate different elements into works.

Artwork by Daisy Jeffords and Morgan Chamberlain is displayed as part of “Secret Garden” during an opening reception at the Kenai Art Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Bringing life into something forgotten’

Kenai Art Center’s rear gallery show steps in ‘Secret Garden’

Most Read