The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

~ foodinbooks

Friday, May 25 was the anniversary of the death of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy. For anyone who loves sarcasm, satire, and snark, this book is a must-read. I was introduced to this book in a way a lot of geeky types are – by someone far, far nerdier than I.  Hard to believe, isn’t it?

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I remember devouring this book in junior-year Honors English class, after I had finished an exam before everyone else, and was bored. When I inadvertently burst out laughing while reading, the teacher tried to take the book, saying she didn’t appreciate me reading “pop fiction.” My response was “how can you call yourself an English teacher and consider this book pop fiction?” Needless to say, I had some explaining to do to the principal later that day.

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Basic book premise for you non-nerds who have not had your brains edified by reading this book: Arthur Dent is rescued from having his house destroyed by the arrival of his friend, Ford Prefect. Ford is revealed to be a space alien who takes Arthur on an intergalactic adventure when it is revealed Earth is destroyed to make way for a galactic freeway. Intelligent mice, and aliens, robots and computers with names like Zaphod Beeblebrox, Deep Thought, Veet Voojagig, take us on this hilarious journey through the universe to find the the computer which has the answer to life itself.

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It’s 42. Don’t ask.

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Anyway, the character of Zaphod Beeblebrox, erstwhile president of the galaxy, is the inventor of a drink so out-of-this-world strong…….pardon the pun, that its effect is described as “having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon, wrapped ’round a large gold brick.” Or this other, most poetic description – “the alcoholic equivalent to a mugging; expensive and bad for the head.”

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The aptly named Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster sounded most intriguing – see below – so I did some research into how one creates this masterpiece of a cocktail that will knock you on your ass.

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Take the juice from one bottle of the Ol’ Janx Spirit.

Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V — Oh, that Santraginean water… Oh, those Santraginean fish!

Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzine is lost)

Allow four liters of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it, in memory of all those happy hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia

Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odors of the dark Qualactin Zones, subtle, sweet, and mystic

Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink

Sprinkle Zamphour

Add an olive

Drink… but…..very carefully…

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This is the pared-down method that worked for me, based partly on this post at the Feastygeeks.com blog, which is nerd heaven for us geeky kids; and partly from Wonderland Recipes.com. I skipped the Algolian Suntiger teeth, though. They’re hard to find this time of year.

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INGREDIENTS
Handful of crushed ice
1 ounce bourbon whiskey
1 and 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce sour apple mix
2 ounces blue Curacao
2 ounces lemon juice
1 lemon slice

METHOD
In a cocktail shaker, mix crushed ice with the bourbon whiskey, the gin, the sour apple, the Curacao, and the lemon juice, and shake well.

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Garnish with a slice of lemon, and if you’re feeling fancy, peel off some of the lemon peel and twist before dropping into the drink, to get some of the lemon oil and essence.

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I highly recommend following the ratios above, lest you find yourself shitfaced and on the floor wondering how you got there.

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Drink, but VERY CAREFULLY! Here’s to you, Douglas Adams, and thanks for all the fish!

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Published by foodinbooks

I read, I cook, I travel, I love pugs, I drink wine, and I blog about food and books.

15 thoughts on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams”

  1. Pingback: Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger – Food In Books

    1. Thank you! I admit, I did not drink the entire thing. I had a couple of sips and it was a bit too sweet for me. But it was definitely fun making it and the color alone I think was worth it.

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  3. I don’t drink, but wow! That looks amazing. Love your pics. My son read the books in high school, but I didnt. Still need to. I love the story about your English teacher, butI can’t understand why any teacher would say anything negative about a student reading a book anyhow, regardless of the genre. I’m ecstatic when my kids read period. 😂 It was books like this that kept my son reading through high school because a lot of the ‘required’ reading didn’t interest him.

    Anyhow, great post as usual, Vanessa. Loved reading it. ❤😙

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  4. The colors of this drink look amazing, though I’m not sure I’d want to try it. i loved this book in high school too, and thought the movie was pretty ok too. But I like Martin Freeman. And I thought Mos Def as Ford Prefect was a cool choice. Excellent post!

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    1. Hah! I sipped very slowly so my brain didn’t feel like it had been bashed by a lemon-wrapped brick! I liked the movie too. I forget the actress who played Trillian but she rocked too.

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  5. I love this! I mean, I love that you made a recipe for it! I don’t know if I would like it, the smell of bourbon makes me feel ill (there’s an unpleasant story behind why, involving my seventeen year old self and too much Jack Daniels), but I do like gin. Both together… undecided. I think it ought to have Goldschlager in it for the gold brick element.

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    1. I didn’t even think about Goldschlager but you’re absolutely right. I wanted to make it taste good and not make me throw up while drinking it so I did omit some elements that probably could have added to the aesthetic of it. 🙂 I also thought about using 3 or 4 cubes of sugar for the Algolian Suntiger teeth, but when I started making the drink, realized we didn’t have any so left that element out. There’s definitely room for additions an improvement, but it was fun just making it for the first time in general. And I personally love the color. Thanks for commenting!

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    1. What, are you kidding me? You mean I’m not supposed to drink it and feel like my brain was bashed by a gold brick or however the saying goes? 😉 I hate to admit it but this version was pretty tasty, although I could not drink the entire thing. But I had a few sips and definitely felt The Buzz. But okay, next time I make it, I’ll make it so that nobody can possibly choke it down. Lol! Glad you enjoyed the post, if not my version of the cocktail. Tee hee!

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      4. Haha! If you want to shoot me an email with your address, I’ll definitely put some cookies in the mail for you this week. I don’t know how well the drink or the shepherd’s pie would travel but I know the cookies would probably be okay.

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