The Best Cocktail for Your Favorite Book Genre, According to Mixologists

Imagine you just stepped foot inside a bookstore or library. Which section are you strolling toward first? Perhaps memoirs are your M.O., or maybe you’re feeling poetic?

Each of us has our own proclivities, and our unique tastes are part of what makes life so fun. Since this is the case, we’re suckers for a good personalized pairing here at BHG. Whether it’s the best wine for your zodiac sign or the recipe you should make based on your favorite Taylor Swift album, inspiration is hiding out all over to help you find your perfect match—including at the library.

Why Books and Cocktails Are the Perfect Pairing

The cocktail bar Library By The Sea on Grand Cayman island is both a working library (situated by the Caribbean Sea) and a bar with “storytelling, evocative cocktails inspired by literature, art, or other notable characters,” says beverage manager Jim Wrigley. “It’s home to a collection of vintage spirits and rare books, and is also a ‘laboratory’ of sorts for creation and innovation.”

As big book buffs ourselves, this concept sounds sea-riously appealing—so to recreate it and help all of us enjoy story time in even better spirits, we asked Wrigley and three other bibliophile mixologists to help us pair your favorite book genres with a cocktail that matches the mood. 

“Books transport us, and so do aromas and flavors. Our smell and taste receptors are closely connected with the memory centers of our brains, which is why a well-crafted drink can evoke a different place and time in a single sip,” says Hope Ewing, beverage director at The Obscure.

The Best Classic Cocktail to Drink, Based On Your Favorite Book Genre

Genres are somewhat broad by their nature. (Although they might both be sorted into the “romance” section, a sunny summer vacation novel like Emily Henry’s Happy Place is quite different from a dark, brooding tale like Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight.) But this doesn’t mean they can’t be associated with certain colors, textures, aromas, and flavors.

“A thriller might be deep, strong, and complex, with a surprise bitter finish. Or a romance may have an attractive glass and garnish, with fruity flavors that develop as you drink and leave you wanting more," Wrigley says.

Keeping the vibe of each book type top of mind, ahead, our pro mixologists spill the ideal beverage to enjoy as you savor every last page.

The Best Cocktail for Humor Fans: Spiked Punch

“Punch is always fun, always different, and is meant to be shared and enjoyed together,” Wrigley says. As a bonus, punch is prime territory for improv. Start by customizing a pitcher with one juice, one carbonated drink, one spirit, and any of your favorite fruits. Combine wisely, and soon you’ll have your own long punch line. (Ba-dum-tss!) 

The Best Cocktail for Poetry Fans: Negroni

Lyrical writers like Shakespeare and John Keats often relied on iambic pentameter: verses that contain five 10-syllable lines. A classic Negroni—featuring equal parts (1 ounce each) gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth—makes for an ideal, well-balanced match. Despite the fact that it’s a 3-ingredient cocktail, it “packs so much flavor, meaning, and intoxicating nuance into a small package,” Ewing explains.

The Best Cocktail for Beach Read Fans: Sex on the Beach

Similar to how you might be able to predict the ending to whatever love story you're reading (happily ever after!), you could probably see this one coming, as Death & Co. bar manager Scott Ruggiero puts it: “The book genre is literally the name of the drink.”

The mixologists couldn’t resist selecting this on-the-nose and easy-breezy bevvy. Offering “refreshing flavors for a summer day reading in the sand,” Ruggiero describes, this cocktail is easy to make with 3 ounces each of OJ and cranberry juice plus 1 ounce each of vodka and peach schnapps.

The Best Cocktail for Mystery Fans: Death in the Afternoon

Author Ernest Hemingway claims to have invented this simple spritz—mix 1 ½ ounces of absinthe with 4 ounces of Champagne—and named it Death in the Afternoon. (He also penned a book by the same name.) While the jury is still out about if he’s the actual originator, this drink definitely packs a plot twist. It looks like a classic glass of bubbly, but the anise-flavored absinthe sneaks in at the end “like a delicious sharp knife or smoking gun,” Wrigley says.

The Best Cocktail for Biography Fans: Vieux Carré

Meaning “old square” in French, this iconic New Orleans cocktail’s name gives a nod to the city’s French Quarter, home to many notable moments since this drink first hit menus in the 1930s. Made with ¾ ounces each of rye, cognac, and sweet vermouth, as well as a splash of Benedictine and a few drops of aromatic bitters, all served over ice, each sip delivers aromatics, botanicals and ancient ingredients that evolve as you enjoy.

“Each element of the drink comes together to be greater than the sum of all of its nuanced parts, just like little moments become a life,” Wrigley notes.

The Best Cocktail for Self Help Fans: Martini

Despite what the title of one self help might lead you to believe, there’s no one blueprint for how to win at life. There’s also no one “right” way to order your martini. You can choose your own adventure here, and create a concoction that will have you feeling ready to “conquer the world,” according to Ewing.

A classic martini features 2 ½ ounces gin or vodka mixed with ½ ounce dry vermouth. But you can chart your own path to sipping success: Shaken or stirred? Dry, classic, perfect, wet, or dirty? Or maybe you’d prefer one of the modern remixes, like Kalamata Olive Martinis, Pistachio Martinis, and Espresso Martinis? Once you find your martini match, you might feel 10% Happier. (Just be sure to pace yourself—this is a strong one!)

The Best Cocktail for History Fans: Old Fashioned

“The Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail, personifies era-spanning identity. It’s a drink nearly as old as America,” Wrigley says, summarizing the early-1800s innovation. Showcasing 2 ounces bourbon, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 3 dashes angostura cocktail bitters, the Old Fashioned is one of the most well-known and globally-ordered cocktails.

“Much like history itself, it is constantly being re-written,” he continues. Try remixes made with tequila (Oaxaca Old Fashioned), Brandy (a Wisconsin staple), or maple syrup instead of sugar.