Book Lovers’ Day: Pair Your Reads with Whisky

Bibliophiles don’t need a single day to celebrate, or feel special. As long as they have a book with themselves, it is a book lover’s day. Having said that, let’s also learn to accept that bibliophiles need not reserve a table at a fancy restaurant or go to a café to celebrate. Trust us, they are most likely to stay at home with their books anyway.

The book lovers we interact with on a day to day basis carry books almost everywhere. For them, perhaps, we could think of a park, a pub, a coffee shop, or just lamp-posts by the road where they can celebrate Book Lovers’ Day.

Although it is celebrated every year on August 9, nobody knows who started observing this day or since when. Well, we recommend you start hoarding books, not because of Book Lovers’ Day but just because we like books anyway. While you are at it, give books to your loved ones too and make them happy.

However, we all enjoy pairing our reads with something, depending on our mood. At times, it is a tumbler of tea, and at other times it is nachos and cheese sauce. Then there are those times when you just want a good whisky to go with your book.

Here are a few pairings you may want to try out this Book Lovers’ Day:

Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy with a Classic Manhattan

A well-made Classic Manhattan can be the perfect companion to your soft-boiled detective fiction. With Auster asking very intricate questions concerning our subconscious and identity, we believe you need more than a good cup of coffee to deal with the absurd turns his stories take. The language is simple but the plot complex—his narrative in each of the three short novels will compel you to think extensively about life, death, and our state of being.

Make your Classic Manhattan with Clan Campbell. The burning chili and wood notes on the palate make it perfect for a Manhattan because you certainly don’t want the cocktail to be too sweet. The distinct smoky texture of Clan Campbell balance the orange bitters and vermouth.

Malik Sajad’s Munnu with Tea and Whisky Highball

Through the eyes of a boy growing up in the disputed land of Kashmir, Malik Sajad beautifully illustrates his narrative to highlight the simple lives of the people. He offers an alternate history of the militarization and resistance that we are accustomed to hearing and is uniquely weaved with despair and humor creating just the right amount of impact.

When reading Munnu, we were constantly craving tea. But for Book Lovers’ Day, we think you should punch in a little whisky with the tea. Try the easy to make tea and whisky Highball. Use Kashmiri Kahwa, a popular variety of tea for spicing up the cocktail, and The Glenlivet 12 for balancing the spice.

Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love and whisky truffles

For those who have only a little time to celebrate Book Lovers’ Day, we have thought of a beautiful short story collection by American writer Raymond Carver. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love primarily talks about people and their equation with other people and the circumstantial problems that fester in everybody. The question of what is love and what is not has plagued us probably since the beginning of time and Carver makes an attempt to look at it from above.

We think you should make whisky truffles to accompany Carver. Make them with 100 Pipers whisky to bring out delicate notes of smoke, vanilla, and honey that can complement your dark chocolate and double cream. Keep popping them as you go from one unique title to another.

Charles Bukowski’s Ham on Rye and whisky glazed ham

One of the greatest American writers who ever lived, Bukowski was honest and outrageous practically all his life. Ham on Rye is a semi-autobiographical novel in which though Bukowski’s alter ego, Henry Chinaski, he recollects and maps his early years. His relationship with his father, his struggle to make money, the American middle-class, and of course the beginning of his alcoholism, Bukowski has nothing to hide.

The reason why we chose to pair this novel with whisky glazed ham is simply because the title of the book is bound to make you crave meat. Make your whisky glazed ham with Jameson Irish whiskey for the perfect balance of sweet and smoke. With just a few ingredients and the right amount of whisky, you can make your ham in about two hours. Pour yourself some more of the Jameson to go with the ham and Bukowski.

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The 1875 Chamber Street Whiskey Fire of Dublin

This has got to be one of those events in history which serves as a cautionary tale. The 1875 Chamber Street Whisky Fire in Dublin is well-documented. One does not have to look far to uncover the things that went wrong or saved that day. Lives were lost and property destroyed. Yet, it all could have been so much worse. The day was salvaged, albeit partially, due to the sheer brilliance and leadership of a few good men.

Port Ellen: The Legacy that Burns Bright

Port Ellen is not just a brand for most whisky aficionados across the world, it is an emotion. It is, therefore, only befitting that a homage be paid to one of the grandest whisky traditions known to mankind. The Port Ellen distillery from Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland may be lost to time, but its reverence lives on.