Midnight’s Children + Saffron Gin & Tonic
In “Midnight’s Children” by Salman Rushdie, the main character, Saleem Sinai is born at midnight, the moment of India’s independence. Along with his timely birth, Saleem also receives telepathic powers and a generous nose that is off-the-charts sensitive to smell. As the history of India as an independent country unfolds, so does Saleem’s life. He learns that all children born between midnight and 1:00AM were gifted with a multitude of powers and he uses his telepathic powers to bring them together in the Midnight’s Children Conference. As India faces her many challenges, so does Saleem Sinai. This novel has many underlying commentaries on the process of India’s independence and the fashion in which Indra Gandhi conducted her rule. Read this novel for both a family saga and magical lives, as well as as historical and political commentary. (Published by Jonathan Cape)
Saffron Gin & Tonic
(As seen on Instagram via @gabrielboudier)
Throughout the book Saleem’s father is in a personal fight with the djinns (aka bottles of alcohol), starting with the purchase of a new home from an Englishman with the caveat that the cocktail hour must continue to be observed. It only makes sense to honor this agreement and take some time with a Saffron Gin + Tonic from Gabriel Boudier. Get yourself a comfortable place to read, a place the sun, and get drinking + reading.
Saffron Gin + Tonic
“‘You’ll take a cocktail in the garden?’ Methwold is saying, ‘Six o’clock every evening. Cocktail hour. Never varied in twenty years.’”
