Mood Altering and Mood Setting Drinks

Eyes open-coffee in hand. This is the way many people start their day. Some prefer tea or cola, but most crave some kind of heart pumping caffeine.

The chill of fall hits the air; hot chocolate comes to mind or perhaps hot apple cider. Christmas conjures up visions of eggnog or hot tea and Champaign rings in the New Year. Some people are teetotalers and others are milk chuggers, and some are both. People have drink preferences and so do characters. That preference may reveal much about who the character is and where she came from.

Think about the man who was dubbed “Public Enemy Number One”. This is how the New York Times described him right after he’d been found guilty of tax evasion. "Capone tried to smile again, but the smile was bitter. He licked his fat lips. He jiggled on his feet. His tongue moved in his cheeks. He was trying to be nonchalant, but he looked as if he must have felt--ready to give way to an outburst of anger. It was a smashing blow to the massive gang chief. His clumsy fingers, tightly locked behind his back, twitched and twisted."

Imagine what Al Capone drank. How would he hold his glass? Wikipedia states  wealth permitted Capone to indulge in a luxurious lifestyle of custom suits, cigars, gourmet food and drink (his preferred liquor was Templeton Rye from Iowa), jewelry, and female companionship.

Miss Marple seems to have a lot of Agatha Christie’s personality and they both loved tea. The perfect hair, impeccable dress and marvelous posture is the image I have of them as they sit on the edge of their settee and sip tea. One lump or two, cream or lemon for your tea--care for a fresh pastry?  

This Agatha Christie  game site describes her novels as being like stepping back in time to a refined and glamorous age where gentlemen in natty suits drink martinis, cigarettes are in holders, and stories are written on typewriters. Dead Man's Folly, is careful to preserve the right atmosphere in both time and place.

Carolyn, my West Virginia character loves fresh brewed “Sweet Tea” in the summer and hot “Apple Cider” in the winter. What is your character’s favorite drink? Do your antagonist and protagonist share a favorite drink? What’s your favorite drink?

Resources:

Wikipedia

Jayisgames

Photos:

Cider *creative commons, Seattle Coffee Gear/brownbean.com

Christie *wikimedia.org

Capone *slated.org