(January 19,2023)  We asked if we could offer our readers an exclusive sneak preview of Eddie Muller’s newest book, Bar Noir. Eddie—host of TCM’s Noir Alley is cocktail connoisseur and in this stylish book packed with equal parts great cocktail recipes and noir lore he takes film buffs and drinks enthusiasts alike on a spirited tour through the “dark city” of film noir. The Czar of Noir hosts the 20th annual Noir City at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, California Friday, January 20-January 29, 2023. Ben Terrall has written another terrific preview of the films for EatDrinkFilms , “BLACK AND WHITE AND NOIR AS ALL GET OUT” packed with carefully selected rare black and white photos.Check it out.  There is also a gallery of posters and trailers for films in the Festival here.   In Eddie Muller’s Bar Noir he pairs carefully curated classic cocktails and modern noir-inspired libations with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights on 50 film noir favorites accompanied by dozens of movie stills, poster art, behind-the-scenes imagery, and stunning cocktail photography. Some of the cocktails are drawn directly from the films: If you’ve seen In a Lonely Place and wondered what’s in a “Horse’s Neck”—now you’ll know. If you’re watching Pickup on South Street you’ll find out what its director, Sam Fuller, actually drank off-screen. Didn’t know that Nightmare Alley’s Joan Blondell inspired a cocktail? It may become a new favorite. Meanwhile, Rita Hayworth is toasted with a “Sailor Beware,” an original concoction which, like the film that inspired it (The Lady From Shanghai), is unique, complex, and packs a wallop. Let’s get a peak. Cheers!

(Excerpted from EDDIE MULLER’S NOIR BAR: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller. Copyright © 2023. Available from Running Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.)

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI paired with a SAILOR BEWARE When I set out to create a cocktail in honor of this bizarre and com­pelling 1948 Orson Welles film, I felt it needed to be done in the true Wellesian spirit: something brash and startling, using ingredients rarely if ever combined, assembled in a totally unex­pected way—and then I’d walk away before I finished making it. That’s an inside joke for cinephiles. Welles was notorious for aban­doning his ambitious productions before they were completed, either from boredom or consternation with the bosses at various studios. As a result, The Lady from Shanghai, envisioned by its director as a globe-span­ning 155-minute thriller, was recut and released as an 87-minute B feature—occa­sionally confounding, but a profoundly pungent and poetic work of pure cinema. For this drink I let the characters inspire my choice of ingredients: green Chartreuse for the allure and complexity of Elsa Bannis­ter, the siren portrayed by Welles’s then-wife Rita Hayworth; ginger liqueur to add an Asian element redolent of Elsa’s mysterious past; brandy seemed a likely libation for sinister shyster Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane), and Irish whiskey, of course, for the poor sap in the middle of it all, seaman Michael O’Hara (Welles). Make sure to deeply inhale this drink’s seductive aroma before tasting.  

SAILOR BEWARE

NICK AND NORA GLASS,chilled

MIXING GLASS, stirred

1¼ ounces. . . . . .Irish whiskey

¾ ounce. . . . . . . brandy

½ ounce . . . . . . green Chartreuse

½ ounce ………  Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Absinthe rinse Garnish

. . . . . . . . . . . . .  .lemon peel twist

CONSTRUCTION: After stirring the first four ingredients, let it rest in the mixing glass. Pour a little absinthe in the Nick and Nora glass, tilt it sideways, and rotate to coat the sides. Discard. Now strain in the drink. The lemon peel is essential, as it mediates a blend that could otherwise be a bit unruly. It’s essential to use a very fresh lemon to get proper zest. As always, twist the peel skin-side down to zest lemon oil on the surface. Rub the peel on the lip of the glass, gently twist it, and set it in the drink.

THE BIG CLOCK paired with a STINGER In addition to writing the classic crime novels The Big Clock and Dagger of the Mind, Kenneth Fearing was a prominent Ameri­can poet of the 1930s. Alcohol played its part in his work—not for the better where his health was concerned. One of his most famous quotes shows intimate familiarity with long weekends: “The awfulness of Monday morning is the world’s great com­mon denominator.” STINGER

COUPE GLASS, chilled

MIXING GLASS, strained

2 ounces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cognac

1 ounce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .crème de menthe

If an ounce of crème de menthe is too sweet for your palate, adjust accordingly.

You can preorder Bar Noir now and be the first to get it. Publication date, May 23, 2023.

Eddie’s Martini Recipe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePOOcGOtwWA Cocktail in honor of Beverly Michaels, the star of Wicked Woman. Make the cocktail and watch the film (poor print and sound quality) bt hopefully Noir Alley will play this fascinating low budget film. Watch more cocktail videos from Eddie here.