The Academy Awards are this Sunday! And if you’re hosting your own viewing party I’ve got some ideas about what you can serve your guests: drinks paired with each of the Best Picture nominees.
The Big Short
Drink sadness in a glass: a shaken Manhattan, an Old Fashioned made with muddled maraschino cherries and orange slices.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
You order your favorite drink, your usual go-to, only to be severely let down when it arrives. Why did you ignore the signs that it would go terribly wrong? That the bartender put the Manhattan ingredients in a shaker? Or that they threw a handful of neon maraschinos in a glass with muddler in hand?
Bridge of Spies
Drink a Moscow Mule.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
This classic cocktail was helped by the growing popularity of vodka in the States. And shows the good that can come out of Russian and American relations.
Brooklyn
Drink a Paddy Cocktail.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
Since this best picture nominee is about a young Irish lass falling in love in New York but being pulled back to her homeland of Ireland, how about a compromise: this Manhattan which switches out the rye whiskey for Irish whiskey?
Mad Max: Fury Road
Drink a Bourbon Milk Punch.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
This classic cocktail isn’t actually made with breast milk as is the Mother’s Milk in the Mad Max universe—but bourbon has been called Mother’s Milk. Plus, as a hangover remedy this cocktail will imbue you with new life.
The Martian
Drink a modern Cosmopolitan.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
This Red Planet-hued modern classic has a disco party vibe to go along with that soundtrack. But to truly make this the perfect complement to the movie it’s gotta be made with potato vodka, you know, because poo-tato. I’ll leave it at that.
The Revenant
Drink straight moonshine from a flask.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
What best represents the raw-ness of the great outdoors than moonshine? Moonshine is tough to get through, like that bear attack scene, that first battle scene, that last battle scene…
Room
Drink your first favorite cocktail, the one that opened your eyes to a bigger world.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
Whatever was the first drink that made you realize there was a big, wonderful world (of booze) to explore. For me it was the White Russian. And all this time before I was just drinking plain Cafe Au Laits.
Spotlight
Drink a really nice scotch, or break out whatever your desk whiskey is.
Photograph by Caroline on Crack
Even though the Boston Globe reporters in the movie are seen drinking Harpoon IPA beer, I like to think they poured a celebratory scotch after breaking open the story of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. They deserved it.
