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Literarea by Kevin Kizer
44
thePeorian.com
Everyday Drinking:The
Distilled Kingsley Amis
By Kingsley Amis
For those unfamiliar with the
author, Kingsley Amis was a
renowned British author and one
of the great masters of comedic
storytelling. He published more
than 20 books in his lifetime (he
died at age 73 in 1995) and was
knighted in 1990. Oh, and he
was widely regarded as one of
Britain’s all-time authorities on
drink, which, considering the his-
tory of Brits imbibing alcohol, is
quite an honor.
In “Everyday Drinking” (the
newest edition from 2008 features
an introduction by friend, ad-
mirer and heavyweight drinker
in his own right, the late Christo-
pher Hitchens), Amis intersperses
hilarious alcohol-related short
stories, along with his own well-
tested recipes – some
named after his famous
novels, like “Lucky
Jim,” and others named
after friends “Evelyn
Waugh’s Noonday
Reviver” – and rather
helpful musings on
subjects like The Hang-
over (“a piece of selfless
research, undertaken by
a pioneer”), The Boozing Man’s
Diet, What to Drink with What,
and How Not to Get Drunk.
The humor is wry, bright and
quick and it’s easy to see why
it’s called “the distilled Kingsley
Amis.” The insight and advice
comes from decades of “everyday
drinking” by one of the masters
of English comedy, who also
sired another great novelist and
comedic writer in his own right,
Martin. And Martin (along with,
until recently, his best buddy
Hitchens) has carried
on his father’s torch
quite proudly over the
years as well.
This book is quot-
able from beginning to
end – “You will find it
a splendid pick-me-up,
and throw-me-down,
and jump-on-me.
Strongly dis-recom-
mended for mornings after” and
“And most experts will tell you
that the bloom begins to fade
from a martini as soon as it is
first mixed, which may be pure
subjectivism, but, in any drinking
context, subjectivism is very im-
portant” – and it’s this that makes
“Everyday Drinking” a classic in
the literary sense. It’s well worth
reading if you are a fan of great
writing or a fan of great drinking
– even more so if you are a fan of
both.