10 Famous Authors and Their Favorite Libations

Beloved poet and author Maya Angelou became famous for her love of sherry. In an interview published by The Paris Review in 1990, Angelou remarked that the few items she brought along while staying in hotel rooms to pen her now-immortal works were: a Bible, a dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, yellow notepads, an ashtray, and a bottle of sherry, which she often began sipping before lunchtime.

Sip like Maya with Lustau Palo Cortado sherry, a unique and rare style of the Spanish fortified wine.

Eliot once said, "There is nothing quite so stimulating as a dry martini cocktail," and martinis were certainly a favorite of his colleagues, the great writers of the Jazz Age. Eliot had an affinity for gin, so it was likely he preferred it to vodka in his martinis.

Try this Art Deco take on a classic gin martini here.

When it comes to Hemingway, there are all sorts of rumors regarding his favorite libation. Some say it's the mojito, others the daquiri, others the negroni (he's mixing one up here), among many, many other cocktails. However, the author may be more of a simple man than believed. Many argue that scotch and soda was actually his drink of choice, and it's mentioned more times than any other alcoholic beverage in his writings.

Check out our favorite whiskey cocktails, from the simple to experimental, here.

While not exactly a cocktail, the Southern author of short stories was notorious for enjoying a highly caffeinated concoction of Coca-Cola and coffee. O'Connor was one of few famous 20th-century writers who abstained from alcohol.

Unlike Hemingway, history is pretty clear on Oscar Wilde's tipple of choice: absinthe. The following quote is famously attributed to the author: "After the first glass of absinthe, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see them as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world." So long as he held to one or two drinks, all was well.

Stock your bar with Pernod absinthe, which was a popular choice during Wilde's day and remains an icon in the 21st century.

Like many authors prominent during the roaring twenties, Fitzgerald had a penchant for gin, and his favorite libation was a Gin Rickey. This classic combination of gin, lime juice, soda water, and often simple syrup is still a favorite of many imbibers today.

Do you love gin as much as Fitzgerald? Try riff on the Last Word, another classic Prohibition-era cocktail, here.

Author, screenwriter, and playwright Truman Capote kept it simple when it came to imbibing. The writer famously gravitated toward screwdrivers throughout most of his life, affectionately calling the cocktail his "orange drink." However, he was known to enjoy a double martini from time to time as well.

The beloved author wrote in Anne of Green Gables, "I love bright red drinks, don't you? They taste twice as good as any other color." Any devoted fan of Anne with an E knows those were Anne's famous last words before accidentally making herself drunk while spending the afternoon with Diana Barry. While it's not certain that Lucy Maud Montgomery shared the same affinity for raspberry cordial as her iconic heroine did, her book certainly immortalized the drink, though cordial otherwise has lost its prominence in North American life.

Try a refreshing, non-alcoholic alternative here.

The On the Road author that spurred a thousand cross-country road trips had a special place in his heart for a margarita. After spending time in Mexico City, it's likely he drank some of the best out there.

Learn how to make a perfect margarita and other tequila cocktails here.