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The Handmaid’s Tale

Margaret Atwood (Vintage, hbk, $29.98)

Blessed be the fruit – in this instance, the

naturally fermented sauvignon blanc grapes

that went into the 2016 Essential Crisis from

Victorian producer Latta Vino. The cloudy,

cider-like pet-nat is at the top of my summer

drinking list. Matched with that, Margaret

Atwood’sThe Handmaid’s Tale. I devoured

the first season of the TV adaptation in less

than a week, and with season two around the

corner, it’s high time I read the book. In Gilead,

women are forbidden to drink, or to read for

that matter (cue existential crisis), so here in

Sydney, whether on the beach or in the park,

I’ll savour every moment of both. Nolite te

bastardes carborundorum.

MAGGIE SCARDIFIELD, NEWS EDITOR

The Dry

Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan Australia, pbk, $16.99)

This summer I plan to read Jane Harper’sThe Dry

before it’s made into a blockbuster film and ruined

forever. I like the sound of a murder-mystery set in

small-town Australia because I grew up in a tiny

town and a murder would have livened things up

considerably. To accompany, I’ve created a Martini

that I’ve also christened The Dry. Follow me:

1. Empty a bottle of Noilly Prat dry vermouth into
   a decanter or down the sink.


2. Fill the empty bottle with a classic juniper
   gin – Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray or Sipsmith.
   Nothing fancy.


3. Store the instant Martini bottle in the freezer.


4. Pour when thirsty into a chilled glass. Garnish
   with a gum leaf.
   KENDALL HILL, SENIOR WRITER

72 GOURMET TRAVELLER