In this series, we ask drink-smiths to conjure an inspired drink for their muse. The brief is simple – pick a muse, imagine he/she walks into you bar, based on how you would describe his/her personality, make a befitting drink.
This particular response came as a pleasant surprise. Certainly not what we were expecting, but definitely up there with our favourite responses. Read what the master story teller James Estes has to say about his muse Hunter S. Thompson and how he’d fix him the perfect drink.
So my muse is Hunter S Thompson.
As most of us know, Thompson was a journalist, and more importantly, the founder of gonzo journalism. His unique, no holds barred, writing style and penchant for debauchery are all part of what make Hunter S Thompson the inimitable force that he was.
Now, if hunter S Thompson walked into my bar, I know exactly what I’d make him. And I base my creation purely of off what I know about his habits, preferences and schedule. And this I give you, “The Gonzo”:
GONZO
100 ml Chivas regal
40 ml Italian style vermouth macerated with orange and grapefruit peel
10 ml THC infused chartreuse (yellow and green)
5 drops of LSD
6 dashes of tobacco bitters
6 dashes of coffee bitters
Top with a splash…scratch that, lots of champagne
Method: Place ingredients into cocktail shaker, seal tight, then violently throw shaker at the wall.
Pick up and open shaker, and strain ingredients into a highball glass with a cocaine rim and ensure glass is full of ice, lots of ice, big chunks even better.
Also, glass should be washed with gin prior to using. 30 ml of gin should do the trick, swirl gin around glass covering as much surface area as possible and discard. Wait, don’t discard, just leave it in there.
Garnish: Heineken, two margaritas, two cheeseburgers, two orders of fries, a plate of tomatoes, coleslaw, a taco salad, a double order of onion rings, carrot cake, ice cream, bean fritter, dunhills, another Heineken, cocaine, and for the ride home, a snow cone (a glass of shredded ice over which is poured three or four jiggers of Chivas)
Funnily enough, Hunter S Thompson did in fact walk into my uncle’s bar in London some years back. According to my uncle, he had a commanding presence but was temperamental and border line violent. He had agreed to do an interview at the bar but kept storming in and out, demanding to be paid in cocaine. Read this if you want to know more about that story.
Should’ve made him a Gonzo 😉
James Estes is a jet-setting bartender, whipping up his wizardry in places far and wide to the rich and famous on yachts and jet planes. We don’t know where you can pin him down but if you do, ask him to make you a Gonzo.
The Dram Attic 