July 4, 1776—the day the United States of America declared its independence. Now, 240 years later, it's still one of America's favorite holidays. We all come together, light up the grill, have a few drinks, blow some shit up, and celebrate the beginning of one of the greatest countries in the world!
So, while you're all outside in the hot July sun, quench your thirst with this week's Pick Your Poison—where we create a cocktail inspired by a recently published mystery, thriller, or crime novel—the red, white, and blue trio of “Thirst Strike” cocktails, inspired by Ben Coes's 6th Dewey Andreas thriller, First Strike.
Fly the flag high, make things go BOOM, and have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend!
First Strike by Ben Coes is the 6th thriller featuring CIA operative Dewey Andreas (Available June 28, 2016).
Deep within the Pentagon, a covert, multi-billion arms-for-influence program was created. The objective was to protect the United States and its allies from terrorist acts by secretly enabling a hand-picked man to emerge as the most powerful leader in the Middle East. But the charismatic Tristan Nazir double-crosses America, twisting the program for his own violent ends to create ISIS. Now America is at great risk.
Elite operative Dewey Andreas is sent to Syria to retrieve details about the source of ISIS’s funding but his cover is blown mid-operation and chaos erupts in the streets of Damascus. Trapped and outnumbered, Dewey manages to send proof of the awful truth—unknown at even the highest levels in the government—that ISIS’s munitions were indeed provided by America itself.
This information arrives in time to for the U.S. to cut off a final arms shipment before it reaches ISIS. But the vicious Nazir, is far from finished. He launches a bold strike into the heart of America, sending a terrorist cell to take over a dorm at Columbia University, capturing hundreds of college students as hostages. For every hour that the shipment of weapons is withheld, the terrorists will publicly execute one student. The potential loss of life is intolerable. A frontal assault is impossible. Releasing the shipment is unthinkable. There is nowhere to turn…
In a situation with no solutions, there remains only one option—Dewey Andreas.
Read an excerpt of First Strike here!
PICK YOUR POISON
“Thirst Strike”
Ingredients:
– 2 oz. of flavored vodka (raspberry/orange/blueberry in picture)
– 1/4 oz. sour mix
– 4 oz. water
– dash of raspberry liqueur (for the red)
– dash of blue curacao (for the blue)
– fresh fruit for garnish (dealer's choice)
How to make the cocktail:
- Pour vodka, sour mix, water, and liqueur (optional) into a mixing tin.
- Add ice and shake well.
- Pour over fresh ice in a pint glass.
- Garnish with fresh fruit.
- Have a safe and amazing 4th of July weekend!
Quench your thirst with the trio of refreshing “Thirst Strike” cockatils, and then, make sure to pick up your copy of First Strike by Ben Coes!
To learn more or order a copy, visit:
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Ben Coes is the author of the critically acclaimed Power Down and Coup d’Etat. He is a former speechwriter for the George H .W. Bush White House, worked for Boone Pickens, was a fellow at the JFK School of Government at Harvard, a campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s run for governor in 2002, and is currently a partner in a private equity company out of Boston. He lives in Wellesley, Mass.