Girl Waits With Gun & The Revolver

Today’s Drinks with Reads book Girl Waits With Gun is based on true facts and Kerry Hammond is here to tell us about the book and the drink she’s paired with it.

Girl Waits With Gun is the first book in a three book series by Amy Stewart featuring the Kopp Sisters. The books are historical fiction, which means they are fictional stories based on real people and real events. Stewart devoured newspaper headlines and articles, and she searched through court documents and public records. She then took the facts she found and crafted a story around them, starting with the real life Kopp sisters' lives and adding the dialogue and some side stories for effect. The final product is a portrayal of true courage and adventure that not only entertains the reader but educates as well.

Constance Kopp is the heroine of our story, which takes place in New Jersey in 1914. She’s nearly 6 ft. tall and has more guts than most men of her day. She is unmarried and living with her two sisters on their deceased mother’s land, much to the concern of their only brother. One day while the sisters are riding their horse and buggy into town a motor car crashes into them. The driver blames the girls and refuses to make amends for the damage done. Constance finds out that the driver is Henry Kaufman, a silk factory owner, and she locates him in an attempt to convince him to pay the debt he owes. But rather than comply, Kaufman and his gang terrorize the sisters, damage more property, and make physical threats against them. The local sheriff gets involved and arms the sisters for their protection. He helps them seek the justice they deserve.

The book is full of real headlines that ran in newspapers during the Kopp Sisters’ ordeal, as well as actual letters that were entered into evidence and found in court records. Given the fact that the sheriff entrusted Constance with a firearm, I thought the perfect drink to pair with the book was the Revolver. It's easy to make and only has three simple ingredients.

             

The Revolver

Ingredients:

1 1⁄3 oz Bulleit Bourbon

1⁄3 oz Coffee liqueur

2 dashes orange bitters

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until chilled and then strain into a cocktail glass.