Big Lebowski: Behind the Scenes

Fun Facts and Pre-Order Links

Working on the The Big Lebowski Cocktail Book was a total joy — from research to recipe testing to writing.

You might think research included merely watching the film, which I did many times always catching something new, but it also involved months of reading. The original screenplay was a big help, but so were secondary sources such as The Abide Guide and I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski. I read or watched all the interviews. I lived Lebowski.

The movie is layered, as are all Coen Brother films, which made the effort feel like a fun chase. I knew I’d gone too far (there is such a thing) when I encountered the conspiracy theory that Donnie’s character is actually a ghost and only the Dude can see him. The Coen Brothers dismissed the surreal take by simply reminding everyone that Donnie dies. Yes, there is that.

But you can see where fans get these sorts of ideas because in my research I found wild easter eggs — like the fact that a portrait by Ilya Repin of the composer for the dance quintet, Modest Mussorgsky, looks exactly like a nineteenth century Dude (you’re welcome). Or the fact that in each Coen Brother movie Steve Buscemi’s character’s body is increasingly destroyed by the end: he is a corpse in Miller’s Crossing, just a leg in Fargo, and ashes in The Big Lebowski.

Want another fun one? In the film’s script, Bunny is listed as Fawn Gunderson, a link to Marge Gunderson from Fargo. Morehead, Minnesota — where Bunny is from — is Fargo’s twin city. I could go on. All of these examples plus more are in my book as “Dude facts.”

This kind of deeper meaning tucked into otherwise superficial-seeming directorial choices is reflected in the food and drink in the movie as well. For instance, the whole “stupefying” tale begins with a tumbleweed heading down Hollywood Boulevard. Later, sarsaparilla appears in conversation at the bowling alley. Well, the word sarsaparilla is derived from the Spanish zarzaparilla, zarza meaning “bramble,” or tumbleweed. Connections like this are everywhere in The Big Lebowski, and I think it is a big part of the film’s staying power with audiences over the past 25 years.

If you pre-order the book and email your proof of purchase to biglebowskicocktails@quarto.com you will receive a free gift — an e-pamphlet with extra recipes. I think you’re going to love this cocktail book.