Whiskey Sour

The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon, 1966

2 parts whiskey

1 part fresh lemon juice

Splash of water

Pinch of caster (superfine) sugar

1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

Fill a rocks glass with ice, add all of the ingredients, except for the garnish, and stir until chilled.

Garnish with the maraschino cherry and enjoy.

…then through the sunned gathering of her marjoram and sweet basil from the herb garden, reading of book reviews in the latest Scientific American into the layering of a lasagna, garlicking of a bread, tearing up of romaine leaves, eventually, oven on, into the mixing of the twilight’s whiskey sours against the arrival of her husband, Wendell (“Mucho”) Maas from work…

This satirical, postmodern novella tells the story of a California woman, Oedipa Maas. After hearing of the death of a former lover named Pierce Inverarity, Oedipa becomes convinced that a secret society called Trystero, which began as a postal service in eighteenth-century Europe, is now doing possibly nefarious things behind the scenes. Before all of that, though, she simply wants to make dinner and enjoy a few drinks with her husband.

The Whiskey Sour isn’t particularly “sour,” as that’s commonly the name given to mixed drinks with citrus. The addition of egg white is optional, and many bars now serve the Whiskey Sour without it, for health reasons. It’s up to you if you want to go all in with the traditional recipe or not. Just watch out for those underhanded postal services.