This week on Alcohollywood, we get a bit more obscure with Theo from Twin Cinema as we discuss William Friedkin’s lost 1977 thriller Sorcerer! An unfortunate casualty of the end of New Hollywood and the beginning of the Star Wars era of special-effects blockbusters, this remake of the classic French film The Wages of Fear sees a group of disparate expatriates (including Roy Scheider) in a small South American hellhole, tasked with a dangerous mission to transport unstable nitroglycerin 200 miles to put out an oil rig fire. What follows is a moody, tense, existential and deeply stylized journey through the bowels of hell and human frailty, resulting in one of the most personal and fascinating works of Friedkin’s career. Check out our episode, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game!
Related Links:
Scout Tafoya’s Sorcerer video essay on The Unloved
Fan edit from Louisa (@infamoussphere) – Our 80s truck-building montage dream come true!
Louisa Fan edit 2 – Thanks Infamous Sphere for your amazing gift!
LISTEN HERE OR DOWNLOAD:
THIS EPISODE’S DRINK: Nitro
For our particularly explosive dynamite-inspired drink, we did a little cocktail sorcery of our own with some ignition-proof bourbon (<87-proof at least), Fireball whiskey, and tangerine juice for some fruitiness (as well as a cheeky reference to the film’s composers, Tangerine Dream). Along with the ginger ale and sarsaparilla bitters, this drink has a refreshing root beer-esque flavor profile. TIP: Swap the ginger ale out for cream soda to lean even further in that direction!
1 part WLR ignition-proof bourbon
1 part Fireball cinnamon whiskey
1 part tangerine juice
6 parts ginger ale
dash, sarsaparilla dry bitters
Combine bourbon, whiskey and tangerine juice in a shaker with ice; mix well. Pour into Collins glass with ice and top with ginger ale and dash of bitters.
RULES:
1) SUBJECTIVE RULE: Drink whenever you think that nitroglycerin should have really gone off by now
2) Drink any time a character begins speaking in a different language
3) Drink every time the camera zooms in or out of something
FINISH YOUR DRINK WHEN:
Jackie (Roy Scheider) says, “May I have this dance?”
Join us next week as we get Yahoo Serious with the 1985 comedy Young Einstein!