The Perfect Martinis to Pair with Your Favorite Books

Pair with: A pitcher of gin Martinis
The cocktail party never seems to end in O’Hara’s classic 1934 examination of toxic American conformity, and you’ll want to join in after a few pages. A pitcher of Martinis, the sort very likely commonly mixed up by anti-hero Julian English, will see you through.

Pair with: Frozen Dry Vodka Martini
“Could any tiger/Drink martinis, smoke cigars,/And last as we do?” wrote Auden. Not the way Auden drank, no. No poet loved his Martinis more. Recent evidence shows that he may have preferred vodka as much as gin for a base. But he doubtless liked them dry and as cold as possible; he kept a pitcher chilled in the freezer.

Pair with: 50-50 Martini
Suave husband-and-wife detectives Nick and Nora Charles actually don’t drink any Martinis in The Thin Man, but the 1934 film the book inspired may be the most cocktail-ridden flick in cinematic history. Martinis were smaller and wetter back then, so the way to go here is a 50-50, with equal parts gin and vermouth, served in a “Nick and Nora glass” (these exist; look them up).

Pair with: Harry’s Bar Martini
One of the most famous—and most peculiar—Martinis in the world is served at the iconic Harry’s Bar in Venice. To approximate it, pour an ounce and a half of gin in a shot glass and place it in the freezer. When it comes time to imbibe, fetch it out of the icebox, layer a barspoon of dry vermouth on top, toss in a lemon twist, and enjoy.

Pair with: Dirty Martini
Roosevelt enjoyed nothing more than mixing up a round of White House Martinis for his guests. Some accounts have him slipping in a bit of olive brine in the mix, making him a very early advocate of the Dirty Martini.