Each week reporter Carson Abernethy drinks his way through great works of literature, reviewing books and the booze that inspired them.
“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is the first, and arguably best, collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. It contains some of the most iconic stories of the famous detective, including “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “The Red-Headed League,” “The Speckled Band” and “The Blue Carbuncle.”
Arthur Conan Doyle was a physician who used his knowledge of medicine and reasoning to craft some of the greatest detective stories, featuring two of the greatest characters in fiction, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
Holmes is a character whose brilliance is tempered by his addictions and eccentricities. A famous user of cocaine (his “7 percent solution”), as well as tobacco and alcohol, Holmes is often portrayed as an addict, bored with the commonplace. Solving crimes is a release for him, and when he is not on a case he turns to other substances for fulfillment.
While tobacco played a much more prominent role in the stories than alcohol does, Holmes did like a good drink. Brandy, beer, wine and others are mentioned in the stories. On two occasions, in “The Red-Headed League” and “The Noble Bachelor,” Holmes mentions a proclivity for a whisky and soda.
The Old Fashioned is a cocktail dating back to the late 19th century (when the Holmes' stories take place), and one of the most seminal drinks in history. Square jawed yet elegant, it’s easy to see Holmes sipping one in his Baker Street study, smoking his pipe and contemplating life’s intricate complexities.
Recipe
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 teaspoon simple sugar
- 1 splash club soda
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
- Maraschino cherry and orange slice to garnish
Combine bitters, sugar, club soda and whiskey. Stir, and pour over ice, adding an orange wedge and cherry to garnish.
Prose: 3.5/5
Doyle is a talented writer and a master weaver of mysteries. His prose rises above what is often associated with the genre. In particular, the prose he gives Holmes is exemplary, including quotes like, “I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix,” and “My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence.” It is good, if a bit awkward and antiquated at times, but a great improvement on Doyle’s first work on Holmes, “A Study in Scarlet.”
Characterization: 5/5
Few literary characters provoke quite the level of acclaim and admiration that Holmes does, and he is the most portrayed literary character in history. The very name Sherlock or Holmes has become inextricably linked with reasoning, intelligence and crime solving. But Doyle crafted another immortal character in Watson, the kind confidant and best friend of Holmes. As Holmes himself says in regard to their friendship, “I am lost without my Boswell.”
Cohesiveness: 3.5/5
As a series of disjointed short stories out of chronological order, it is hard to compare the “Adventures” to something like a novel, as they are not as cohesive and start and stop at different times throughout the friendship of Watson and Holmes. But Doyle never lets the reader feel lost. One of the great things about the way he constructed the stories was that they could be read in any order. In fact, many Holmes scholars argue they are best read that way.
Relevance: 5/5
There is something inexplicable about the public’s need for that detective from Baker Street, and with shows like Sherlock and Elementary, Holmes continues to be a character who is still easily relevant. He is a cultural artifact, a conduit for the imagination and one who reminds us of our humanity.
Overall: 4/5
The “Adventures” are not only some of the best Holmes stories, but some of the best stories of any genre, a portrait of Victorian society that is still relevant today, informing the way we see things and ourselves. Holmes is unchanging. We, through him, are changed.
Related Links:
Books & Booze: 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemingway
Books & Booze: 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Reach the reporter at cabernet@asu.edu or follow @carson_ab on Twitter.
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