Praise for Drink Like a Geek
“Listen, I like James Bond. And I like Star Wars. But I love drinking. And when this book made it clear that I could fully combine a series of films with a series of drinks, I ascended straight to heaven. Not only is Cioletti’s book informative and inventive, but wildly entertaining as well. Of course, I’m drunk on an Ewok ‘Bright Tree Swizzle,’ but there you go.”
—Matt Gourley, actor, comedian, & co-host of the James Bonding and Superego podcast
“Jeff is a geek, but he’s no snob. Like a friend who lends favorite comic books or tips you off to a great IPA, this book opens up new worlds and shares your passion for their minute details. Drink Like A Geek revels in nerd culture while remembering that the best parts of being in the club are the people—and drinks—there with you.”
—Kate Bernot, managing editor, The Takeout (TheTakeout.com)
“A geek’s geek and a drinker’s drinker, Jeff Cioletti authoritatively puts a whole spectrum of geek-loved media together with peppy, name-checked cocktails. Wonderfully unique! Get Boilermakers with good old Greedo, and see who shoots first. Drink Romulan Ale with Doc McCoy, Tardis-blue gin with The Doctor, and a corrected Vesper with Bond, James Bond. Then argue about them; that’s what Geeks do.”
—Lew Bryson, Author of Tasting Whiskey and Whiskey Master Class; senior drinks writer at The Daily Beast
“You know that line about booze and knowledge? I’m convinced Tyrion Lannister stole it from Jeff Cioletti. The author of this book has an unabashed love and appreciation for inventive drinks and all forms of geekery. The two have more in common than you might think, and, as both step in from the fringes, Cioletti is here to get you deeper into your favorite genre and glass.”
—John Holl, author of Drink Beer, Think Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Every Pint and co-host of Steal This Beer, a podcast
“Drink Like a Geek is a blast! To all the besotted, sci-fi loving, gaming, twenty-sided-dice throwing, spell-casting nerds out there…be sure to also pick up a copy of MY forthcoming book, Avoiding Wedgies in Bars.”
—Dan Dunn, host of What We’re Drinking with Dan Dunn
Copyright © 2019 by Jeff Cioletti
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Layout & Cover Design: Elina Diaz
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Drink Like a Geek: Cocktails, Brews, and Spirits for the Nerd in All of Us
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2019941803
ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-011-0, (ebook) 978-1-64250-012-7
BISAC category code: CKB088000 COOKING / Beverages / Alcoholic / General
Printed in the United States of America
To my wife, Craige. Guess what—you married a nerd!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 The Saga Begins in a Bar
Chapter 2 The United Fermentation of Planets
Chapter 3 A Doctor Walks into a Pub…
Chapter 5 “That’s What I Do, I Drink and I Know Things”
Chapter 6 Expecto Intoxicatum!
Chapter 10 “Hey, Careful, Man, There’s a Beverage Here”
Chapter 11 I Am the One Who Drinks
Chapter 12 Subculture and the South Seas
Introduction
I’ve always felt equally at home in the sci-fi/fantasy realm and the drinking world, but I must admit, my first experience connecting these two domains was that of an interloper.
It was Labor Day weekend, 1998. I was in Atlanta for Dragon Con, one of the largest genre conventions in the country. Over the years, as more such events have proliferated across the US and the world, the Georgia celebration has retained its reputation as the more raucous, less corporate, party-animal cousin to Hollywood-centric gatherings like the San Diego Comic-Con. It’s still showbiz, but Dragon Con, unlike many of its ilk, continues to be more “show” than “biz.”
At Dragon Con’s 1998 event, Star Wars fans—among whom I enthusiastically count myself—were giddy with anticipation for the arrival of Episode I, which was still nearly nine months away. It wasn’t even The Phantom Menace then because that title had yet to be announced. The possibility that a Star Wars movie could suck seemed unlikely. The prequel trilogy represented hope and possibility. The films were far from becoming the sad punchline that they are now.
As part of the Star Wars generation—I was five, eight, and eleven when the originals