They’re cocktails with an Oliver Twist.
Comedian and author Tim Federle will pour drinks straight from the pages of his own quippy cocktail manual, “Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist,” at Greenpoint’s Word bookstore on Nov. 22.
“A lot of word nerds and English major types have an appreciation for the finer things in life,” said Federle. “We live in this mash-up culture now. This felt like a good moment to take advantage of people’s taste in fine cocktails and liquor, but also those books we suffered through in college or loved.”
Now in its eighth hardcover printing, “Tequila Mockingbird” features 65 pun-laden cocktail recipes named after classic or famous novels — including “Romeo and Julep,” “Vermouth the Bell Tolls,” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margarita.”
Federle, also a children’s book author, former Broadway dancer, and lifelong pun connoisseur, said he had long wanted to write a book that book-clubs could use to create literary libations for their meetings. The “Tequila Mockingbird” pun popped into his brain about a year ago, so he began compiling a list of classic book titles to use, eventually taking the idea to a few agents. After narrowing down his final drink list, the book was published in April this year.
“I wanted to take the seriousness out of the books,” he said. “A lot of them are racist and heavy and difficult to get through. It’s a fun way to pay tribute.”
Attendees at the Word event will be able to sample “the Rye in the Catcher,” made with rye whiskey and ginger beer, “the Sound and the Slurry,” featuring gin and blackberry liqueur, and “the Old Man and the Seagrams” — Federle’s own take on a classic 7 and 7. All proceeds from the night will go to the Greenpoint Food Pantry.
Tim Federle pours drinks from “Tequila Mockingbird” at Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096, www.wordbookstores.com], Nov. 22, 7 pm, $15.
