Tim Federle’s literary cocktail Call of the Wild Turkey called my attention on day six of social isolation because I kind of feel like I’m living in the wilderness. As I was rummaging through my liquor cabinet to see if I have the Wild Turkey bourbon and Canadian Club whiskey called for in the recipe, I made a discovery. For someone who genuinely enjoys social isolation—and when I was a little girl, wanted to be Grizzly Adams when I grew up—my liquor cabinet is surprisingly well-stocked. I should probably be inviting people over more often to help use up my inventory.
I don’t have Wild Turkey bourbon, but I do have Jim Beam bourbon. And I don’t have Canadian Club whiskey, but I do have McMaster’s Canadian whiskey. My frozen treat inventory is less impressive, and I don’t have the Klondike bar that’s in Federle’s recipe. So I’m going to have to use a Drumstick for the frozen treat in my recipe, which is oddly appropriate. There’s actually a reference to Drumstick frozen treats in Book Three of When Life Was Still.
Like Malcolm Lowry’s book that deals with alcohol-related issues and the kind of self-awareness that causes people to fear themselves, my protagonists are also painfully aware of their personally destructive nature—and the effects of alcohol on their lives. Interestingly, When Life Was Still features a concept with numerological significance, as does Lowry’s Under the Volcano. I feel that I might have too much in common with Malcolm Lowry, so I’m not going to do any more research on him and will, instead, focus on this recipe. Since the true contents of this concoction are lurking under the cone of my upside down Drumstick, I’m calling my drink Under the Drumstick Volcano.
These are the ingredients:
- 2 ounces Jim Beam bourbon—because I don’t have Wild Turkey bourbon
- 1 ounce McMaster’s whiskey—because I don’t have Canadian Club whiskey
- 4 ounces hot water
- 2 ounces cinnamon syrup (another major cooking accomplishment on my part, but it yielded such a large batch that I’m going to have to make lots of pancakes to use it up)
- Pour all of the above ingredients into a coffee mug
- Drop in 1 Lil’ Drums Drumstick (vanilla with fudge sauce) turned upside down—because I don’t have a Klondike bar to melt in it
My review of Under the Drumstick Volcano:
Five out of five stars. I’m in love with this drink because of the Drumstick and highly recommend it to anyone who is trapped in a self-isolation coronavirus bunker or a cabin in the wilderness. I love this drink so much that I could drink it daily—but I won’t because I don’t want to go the way of Lowry’s protagonist, or Lowry, and become consumed by alcohol. But I can’t promise that I won’t succumb to my Drumstick addiction.
Bon Appétit!
© 2020 by Julie Ryan. All rights reserved
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Julie Ryan
the wish tank 