Pub Day! Lebowski Kickoff
Author Q & A
Launch!
Today is the day! The Unofficial Big Lebowski Cocktail Book launches nationwide. Order it here. If you ordered early, you’ll be receiving the extra booklet. Pre-orders have become increasingly important in the bookseller world, so a sincere thank you to all who took the plunge before release. This is my ninth book — all of them possible because of the support of readers and cocktailers like you.
I am off to Washington D.C. tomorrow for the official launch of the book at The Gibson with Bold Fork Books on Friday night.
Author Q & A
How did this book happen?
An editor at Quarto Group reached out to me directly. This is my first project with the press. We discussed the plan for it and then looped in my agent. I think this is a little unusual in the industry, but this has been the way it goes for me now. I haven’t done a traditional pitch for a few years. I keep thinking I’ll take a break from writing and then someone calls with a great idea I cannot pass up.
Why is the book “unofficial”?
That is a good question. The press related to me that they had attempted to license this book and make it official. My understanding is that, unbelievably, The Big Lebowski was a box office flop at the time in 1998. When that happens, everyone runs for cover and so there’s no there there for licensing.
What struck you most about revisiting the film now twenty-five years later?
The movie is a blast of joy and intelligence. The pandemic and everything that went on in the past few years has been very grueling for a great many people — we are in sobering times — and this movie is such a wonderful escape, a whole world and way of being that people can relate to. And one of its over-arching messages is to relax. The other thing I noticed is how timely it still all seems; Lebowski has aged very well.
How was it working on the drinks?
The drinks are pulled from characters, scenes, and the settings in Los Angeles. I had such a good time watching the film and doing the research to come up with these cocktails. It was a drink writer’s dream because the Coen Brothers put in so many fun details that there is a lot of material to work with. I’d moved from the Northeast since I signed for this manuscript, so I flew my friend and colleague Kevin Lundell in from Philadelphia to recipe test with me. He’s worked on the past few books with me as well as upcoming books like A Booze & Vinyl Christmas (Oct ‘23) and Cowboy Cocktails (‘24).
What is recipe testing like?
It’s something that I love but never expected. I started out as a drink journalist, so I wrote about other people’s drinks. This is my fifth book of original cocktails. Starting with Gotham City Cocktails in 2018 the cocktails in my books are my own with a few exceptions. It is a giant undertaking, especially for something like Booze & Vinyl Vol. 2 which is 140 recipes. That leap for Batman became an integral part of my career going forward. I write all the drinks down to the ounces while I construct the headnotes. Then Kevin flies to my house in North Carolina and we recipe test ten hours a day for three or four days straight. It is a lot, but also a very good time.
You must have quite a home bar.
It’s the dedicated central room of my house. Because I write primarily for a mass audience of home bartenders I need the drinks to be approachable. So I limit the number of bottles that are required for each project. Each subject gets a palette, if you will, and then all the drinks must fit in that tight universe. Paradoxically, it helps creativity to have limits. For instance, this book has Midori as one of Bunny’s liqueurs — a reference to the green toenail polish — and there is Goldschläger for the nihilist porn star Karl Hungus. For the gold-digging Hungus among us, I say. Of course, for Walter Sobchak, our Polish Vietnam veteran who converted to Judaism, we have Slivovitz. Which is acceptable to consume on Shabbos for medicinal purposes.
The illustrations are fantastic. How did that process work?
I love the artwork. This is my first book that is completely illustrated. After I sent in the manuscript, the editor began sending me mockups of the illustration pages to make sure the colors and presentation were accurate, etc. I looked forward to getting them because they are laugh-out-loud funny and so creative. The illustrator, Jennifer Hines, is a Chicagoan now living in Amsterdam. Her work brings this book to life. I also love the cover. Things do not always come together so easily and perfectly. It really is a delightful package that all works together.
What do you hope for this book?
This book is great whether you are new to cocktails or a pro. It also works if you are a longtime fan of The Big Lebowski or new to the film. You’re going to learn a lot, be reminded of fun movie details, and simply enjoy some fun drink combinations that make watching the film — or having a party — even more enjoyable. More than anything, I hope readers are going to laugh. I hope it brings happiness — and chill.
Anything else you want readers to know?
Be sure to check out the party planning guide in the back which has a lot of good ideas. I’m particularly happy with the music pairings there - Big Lebowski adjacent albums such as Laurie Anderson’s Big Science or Exotica by Marin Denny. If you’re looking for a some Booze & Vinyl magic, the press asked for those pairings and they make for an enriching extended experience.