I am not a drinker whatsoever, but I do love film noir. So, Noir Bar, the delightful new photo-book by TCM’s Noir Alley host Eddie Muller (the “Czar of Noir), is great reading for those who are either film noir devotees or promising drink makers.
Before he graced our midnight screens (first on Fridays at and now on Saturdays) and became the go-to noir expert on TCM, Muller was a bartender. So, he has thoughtfully combined two of his biggest passions together to create a delectable drink companion for film noir lovers.
Each sultry entry has facts and detailed information on 50 classic film noirs, their plot descriptions, production stills, inspirations behind them, multiple ingredients, and a few instructions on how to make the cocktails. A few of the drinks (and films) include:
The Left Hand (The Asphalt Jungle, John Huston, 1950): this classic noir centers on an aging mastermind who hatches a heist and draws in a wealthy lawyer and a trio of outlaws into his carefully constructed but ultimately doomed scheme. This drink is inspired by an iconic throwaway line from the film: “Oh, there’s nothing so different about them. After all, crime is just a left-handed form of human endeavor”. Ingredients include bourbon, sweet vermouth, Campari, and chocolate bitters. Muller recommends putting in a single ice cube, if you want to serve it in the rocks.
Gimlet (The Big Sleep, Howards Hawks, 1946): Bogart plays private eye Philip Marlowe in this influential classic, based on the 1939 Raymond Chandler novel, where he investigates a society girl’s involvement in a pornographer’s murder. The drink is synonymous with Chandler, all thanks to its prevalence in his iconic 1954 novel The Long Goodbye, where it is mentioned over 21 times after Marlowe is turned onto it by a friend. Ingredients include Cognac and creme de menthe. Muller suggests adjusting it accordingly if an ounce of creme de menthe is too sweet for your taste buds.
Horse’s Neck (In a Lonely Place, Nicholas Ray, 1950): This iconic film has Bogart playing a very mild-mannered who becomes a murder suspect until his alluring neighbor (Gloria Grahame) clears him. The cocktail is dedicated to sweet and naive character Mildred (Martha Stewart) who opts for it and explains to Bogart that it’s just ginger ale with a twist. Her brutal murder in the film sets the entire plot in motion. Ingredients include bourbon or rye, ginger ale (to fill), and lemon peel spiral. Muller recommends to always use fresh lemons. You need to carefully peel the lemon around its circumference, making a spiral and drop it in the drink.
Hammett Martini (The Maltese Falcon, John Huston, 1941): This all-time classic has Bogart playing detective Sam Spade, as he wants to find out why high-living, lowlifes are hell bent on getting their hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon, and who will take the fall for his partner’s murder. The drink is a tribute to Dashiell Hammett, the king of modern crime fiction, whose novel is the basis for the film. Ingredients include Stolichnaya vodka, Bacardi rum, Benedictine, and lemon peel twist. Muller suggests adding the Benedictine to balance out the vodka and rum.
Champagne Cocktail (Sunset Blvd., Billy Wilder, 1950): The legendary Billy Wilder film where William Holden plays a down-and-out screenwriter, who is hired by Norma Desmond (a never better Gloria Swanson) to pen her comeback vehicle. He stays with her in her decaying mansion where he basically becomes a prisoner of her and her obsessions. The drink is served by Max (Erich von Stroheim), her dedicated servant and former husband during her fateful New Year’s Eve party. This ends badly when she shoots and kills Joe out of jealousy, after he falls in love with a script girl (Nancy Olson). Ingredients includes Champagne, sugar cube, Angostura bitters, and lemon peel twist. Muller recommends putting the sugar cube in a bar spoon held over a coupe or flute. Put 2-4 dashes the bitters on the sugar cube and drop it in a glass. Fill with ice-cold Champagne. Lastly, express lemon peel over the surface and place in drink.
If you love film noir, cocktails, or both, then join Muller on the dark and smoky paths of cinema history’s darkest genre, and a have a little drink or two. Just don’t overdo it, or else you’ll be found on the slab. Just kidding. But please, make and drink responsibly.
Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir will be released on May 23, 2023.
