Wine Spodiodi

On the Road, Jack Kerouac, 1957

2 parts port

1 part whiskey

Place the port and whiskey in a cocktail shaker, fill it two-thirds of the way with ice, and shake until chilled.

Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy.

Dean and I had ended up with a colored guy called Walter who ordered drinks at the bar and had them lined up and said, “Wine-spodiodi!” which was a shot of port wine, a shot of whisky, and a shot of port wine. “Nice sweet jacket for all that bad whisky!” he yelled.

Kerouac’s classic about the travels of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty through the United States from 1947 to 1950 is filled with jazz, booze, and the Beat scene. It’s an autobiography of sorts for the author, who made his own similar trips during those years. In this scene, the two characters are in San Francisco, and getting ready to drive back east, when they meet an enthusiastic man at a bar who orders a drink that’s unfamiliar to them, the Wine Spodiodi.

This blend of two parts port and one part whiskey will pack a punch, but is delicious, even if you’re not off on an epic road trip. And there’s no need to use a bad whiskey when a good one will make it taste that much better!