Author Charles Soule joins us today on Drinks with Reads matching his new book, The Oracle Year, with the perfect drink. Charles is best known for his comic book writing including Daredevil, Swamp Thing, X-Men, and significant work for the Star Wars franchise. Let's see what drink he picked for his debut novel which comes out next week from Harper Perennial.
The Oracle Year tells the story of Will Dando, a twenty-seven-year-old failed musician from New York City who wakes up one morning with one hundred and eight specific, unique predictions of the future in his head. He has no idea where they came from or what they mean, but once he realizes they’re beginning to come true, he launches an audacious plan to release them one by one. From there, we watch as the planet reacts to the fact that an actual prophet seems to have emerged into the world. What happens to Will, and what’s actually going on with these glimpses of the future… that’s the story. It’s a globe-spanning adventure, full of twists and turns – if there’s one thing to be said about The Oracle Year, it’s that it’s impossible to predict.
Will Dando, being a bassist used to playing ratty bars all over the city, isn’t much for cocktails. However, his creator, me – is. My main drink of choice is a Manhattan, and I came across a variant while on a trip to Austin a few years back that I think is extremely appropriate for The Oracle Year, especially since the book’s primary location is, in fact, Manhattan. It’s called a Black Manhattan, I enjoyed more than a few during the creation of the novel, and certainly if you drink enough on any given evening you’ll have no idea what the future might hold. They taste a bit more complex than a normal Manhattan, less sweet, with almost a touch of a coffee or herbal flavor. Really nice.
Here’s the recipe:
The Black Manhattan
2 oz. good bourbon or rye – I’ve been enjoying the High West Double Rye recently, but Bulleit Bourbon is also nice, because it’s a bit dryer than your standard bourbon.
¾ oz. Averna, an Italian Amaro. This can be tough to find in ordinary bars, but cocktail/mixology places should have it, and it’s pretty readily available in specialty liquor stores.
2 jots bitters – any will do. I use Peychaud’s.
One maraschino cherry – I prefer Luxardo’s. They’re darker and come in a fantastic syrup.
A swirl of syrup from the cherry jar.
Combine all of that in a rocks glass (one large ice cube if you can get it, several smaller if you can’t), stir twice and enjoy.
Just not too many. These things are pretty much 100% booze. (Not coincidentally, also why they’re so damn good.)
Thank you, Charles, for a great drink and read.
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