Scotch & Soda

Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, 1951

2 parts Scotch whisky

1 part club soda

Fill a mason jar or a rocks glass with ice.

Add the Scotch and club soda, gently stir, and enjoy.

I ordered a Scotch and soda, and told him not to mix it—I said it fast as hell, because if you hem and haw, they think you're under twenty-one and won't sell you any intoxicating liquor. I had trouble with him anyway, though.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he said, “but do you have some verification of your age? Your driver’s license, perhaps?”

I gave him this very cold stare, like he'd insulted the hell out of me, and asked him, “Do I look like I'm under twenty-one?”

Caulfield attempts to bluff his way at the bar, but the skeptical bartender doesn’t give in, and Caulfield has to settle for a Coca-Cola. In this variant of the classic Scotch & Soda, you can try not mixing the two ingredients overly, as our protagonist requests, and consider substituting rye whiskey to better honor the book’s title.