From time to time, we will post short interviews with interesting people about their thoughts and feelings on women and drinking. There is such a wide array of perspectives about this topic, and we are excited to gain insight into as many as possible and to share them with you.
Ann Hood is the author of eight novels, including the bestsellers The Knitting Circle and Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine; two memoirs and a collection of short stories. Her most recent memoir, Comfort: A Journey Through Grief, was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and named one of the top ten non-fiction books of 2009 by Entertainment Weekly. Her new novel, The Red Thread, will be published by WW Norton in May.
Drinking Diaries: How old were you when you had your first drink and what was it?
Ann Hood: I had a beer with my father when I was 15 or 16.
How did/does your family treat drinking?
My mother is a teetotaler. She used to drink things like stingers and brandy alexanders and if she drank too much, she cried. Once she got drunk on a virgin strawberry daiquiri.
My dad drank beer on Friday nights, Jack Daniels in emergencies and times of trouble, and a lot of anything at celebrations.
How do you approach alcohol in your every day life?
I drink wine with dinner just about every day. And I often have a wee dram of single malt at bedtime.
If you have kids, how is the subject of drinking handled? Do you drink in front of them? With them?
My kids are still young, but we do drink in front of them. We throw a lot of big parties and it’s all very Ice Storm: cocktails, tears, people dancing in the streets.
Have you ever had a phase in your life when you drank more or less?
Not really.
What’s your drink of choice? Why?
I love really cold big buttery chardonnays and for red wines I like malbecs. Peaty single malt. I’m not much for hard liquor. One martini knocks me on my ass. When everyone was drinking cosmos, I joined in, but I wasn’t very good at it. Margaritas are my weakness, so I don’t drink them very often, and only like them if they are made with real lime juice. I do like a pint of beer with a blue cheese burger and real fries.
Can you tell us about the best time(s) you ever had drinking?
Last year touring wineries in Mendoza, Argentina. Happy Hour at my college pub on Friday afternoons. Margaritas on the beach in Troncones, Mexico. Beer with my dad, any time. Chardonnay with an old boyfriend, kissing in between sips. Irish coffees at the Buena Vista in San Francisco.
What about the worst time?
Freshman year in college. Shots of tequila. Threw up everywhere.
Has drinking ever affected—either negatively or positively—a relationship of yours?
Well, someone else’s has. A man I loved was an alcoholic and it ruined our relationship.
Has culture or religion influenced your drinking?
No.
Do you have a favorite book, song, or movie about drinking?
“Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” and, of course, “Margaritaville.” [The movie] “Days of Wine and Roses.” Lee Remick is the best drunk ever!
What do you like most about drinking?
The taste, the romance, the end of the day or start of the party feel of it.
If you could be any drink, what would it be? Why?
Really good champagne. Bubbly but carries a punch.
