Book nerds around the world, unite. It’s that time of year again, the one that overshadows Christmas with its playful, bookish charm and makes us all feel like, for one day only, we could be the next Lena Dunham/Catlin Moran/ [insert current literary idol here].
And book nerds, despite popular belief, like company. Proof - who hasn’t been invited to at least one book club this year?
So tuck away The Goldfinch (you’re never going to finish it anyway) and celebrate your inner nerd.
The drink
The 'Ernest' Hemingway. Obviously. This rum concoction is both sweet and sour and was created by the man himself over a hundred years ago. It's so good, people are still drinking it today. Learn how to make it here.
**The many, *many *costume options to choose from
**
***Miss Havisham
*'In an arm-chair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see.' Great Expectations, Charles Dickens.
The ultimate jilted woman, Miss Havisham of Great Expectations fame, is a sure-fire success for any literary soiree. Unless, of course, your ex is going to be there, in which case maybe chill with the whole wronged-woman vibe. For the outfit, simply trawl your local charity shops for an old wedding dress, backcomb your hair and plaster yourself in talcum powder for that malnourished, never-leaves-the-house look.
**Alice **
***'*If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.' Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Get lost in Wonderland with Lewis Carroll; because every girl should go to a party dressed as Alice in Wonderland at least once in her life. And don’t know if you know, but pinafores are bang on trend this year. So if you do want to splash out on an Alice outfit at least you’ll get more than one wear out of it. Check out this one from Motel.
*Holly Golightly
'I'll never get used to anything. Anybody that does, they might as well be dead.' Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Truman Capote.*
There’s so many wonderful things about Truman Capote’s 1958 Novella and there’ll be so many wonderful things about you if you dress up like Audrey Hepburn. All it takes is a little black dress (if you don’t have a little black dress, may we ask why?) some fake eyelashes and and a string of (probably also fake) pearls.
*Bellatrix LeStrange
'How you dare speak his name,you fllthy half-blood?' Harry Potter, JK Rowling*
Feeling nasty? Get your Bellatrix on. The equally evil and alluring aunt to Draco Malfoy may not be a pillar of British culture (yet..) but Helena Bonham-Carter most definitely is. All you need is a pair of ripped tights, a whole lorra black - and to unleash your inner goth with this Sugar Skull Choker from Etsy.
Daisy Buchanan
'All the bright precious things fade so fast... and they don't come back.' The Great Gatsby, Scott F. Fitzgerald.
Daisy Buchanan maybe little more than a shallow princess, but she’s also the ultimate femme fatale - teasing her wannabe suitors and fascinating them with her complete disregard for, well, anything. But anyway. She wears awesome clothes. Dress up a sparkly number with this flapper headpiece from Etsy. Or get resourceful and make your own.
Now you have your outfit sorted, time for some fun #ruinabooktitle
Seeing as you’re the literary type, you’ll probably be familiar with a chap called Christopher Hitchens. In his memoir *Hitch-22 *he talked about a game he played with Salman Rushdie (this was the most elite of literary parties, daarling) where you have to place the word ‘love’ in famous book titles. They replaced it with ‘hysterical sex’, we’d go further and suggest simply adding ‘twerking’ and ‘YOLO’; for example... ‘Great YOLO’, ‘Twerking at Tiffanies ’, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Twerk’....
And time for some literary-inspired nourishment
*Avocado and crabmeat salad *
'Then I tackled the avocado and crabmeat salad. Avocados are my favorite fruit. Every Sunday my grandfather used to bring me an avocado pear hidden at the bottom of his briefcase under six soiled shirts and the Sunday comics.'
In The Bell Jar Esther Greenwood talks about an avocado and crabmeat salad she has. Like us, she looooves avocado and crabmeat gives it a super classy touch. Check out this recipe from The Food Network.
And for those with a sweet tooth...
EAT ME. No, seriously - make cupcakes using this recipe from BBC Goodfood and top them with these incredible Alice in Wonderland edible toppings from eBay.
For more ace cocktail recipes head over to the Mixed Cocktails website.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
How To Kit Your Kitchen Out With All You Need To Become A Master Cocktail Maker, For Under A Tenner*
How To Make A Shiny Fancy Display Case To Show Off Your Booze Collection
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.