The Pelican Brief: A Guest Post and Exclusive from John deBary, Author of Saved by the Bellini
For fans of cocktails and ’90s nostalgia comes Saved by the Bellini, full of over 65 recipes that tie into pop culture moments. So create some (or all) of these delicious drinks and remember all the nuances of the decade. If you want a sneak peek of the kinds of tidbits and recipes you get in the book, John deBary provided us an exclusive recipe and tidbit about one of his drinks (inspired by a book)!
John Grisham’s third novel, 1992’s The Pelican Brief, was one of the most popular pieces of fiction in the 1990s. The film adaptation, starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of 1993. The book and film tell the story of a young law student who connects the murders of two Supreme Court justices to a plot to open up Louisiana marshlands — which house the titular pelican population, an endangered subspecies — for oil drilling. After a harrowing sequence of events, including a near-miss car bombing, the scheme is exposed, implicating the sitting president and leading to indictment of his accomplices.
It’s perfectly reasonable after all that action for someone to need a stiff drink, like this Sazerac variation. The Sazerac is one of the most iconic cocktails to come out of New Orleans, and this riff pays a slight homage to our avian friends. Many rum-producing Caribbean nations like Barbados feature the pelican in their coat of arms, so we’re switching out some of the rye whiskey — traditional for a classic Sazerac — for dark rum. And don’t be daunted by the absinthe; its hallucinogenic properties are mythical, and the recipe uses just enough to provide a judicious jolt of intrigue.
makes 1 drink
- 1/8 teaspoon absinthe
- 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
- 1 sugar cube, brown if available
- ¾ ounce rye whiskey
- 1¼ ounces dark rum
GARNISH: LEMON PEEL
Pour the absinthe into a chilled old fashioned glass (or spray inside the glass using an atomizer) and return the glass to the freezer. In a mixing glass, combine bitters, sugar, rye whiskey, and rum. Muddle the sugar cube thoroughly until completely disintegrated. Add ice and stir gently for 20 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass. Express the lemon peel over the top to release the oils and then discard the peel.