What three niche Sex and the City references tell us about whisky
Image: Flickr / El Frijole
The main characters might be known for drinking Cosmos, but a recent deep-dive into Sex and the City drew some surprising parallels with the world of whisky. (OBVIOUSLY this post is in no way affiliated with HBO or SATC.)
Iconic HBO TV show Sex and the City is drenched in alcohol. Especially in the early seasons, barely a meal passes without Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda getting on the drinks. Whether it’s Champagne with brunch or cocktails at a hot new Manhattan bar opening, these friends loved to imbibe. But, as was the case for many women in the late ‘90s and early 00s, whisky didn’t get much of a look-in. Apart from the occasional sighting in the hand of a male character (Big drinks a Scotch in Season 2’s Ex and the City, for example), it’s a dry script indeed for the spirit.
Which is why I was surprised when listening to So I Got To Thinking, the excellent and wildly entertaining rewatch podcast from Juno Dawson and Dylan B Jones, many a moment felt eerily applicable to whisky. Does it feel like a stretch? Perhaps. But hang in there with me.
Over the last few months, I fully indulged in the podcast. While running, while cleaning, while trapped on many a delayed train. There’s a special joy in applying critical, almost academic thought to popular culture. And Sex and the City is prime fodder. After all, the ‘serious’ stuff gets more than enough attention. What was the writers’ room trying to convey in a given moment? Was Patricia Field, costume designer extraordinaire, actually ok towards the end of Season 6? And why was the social commentary in Splat!, the greatest episode of all time, just so spot on.
Obviously, as they often do, my thoughts turned to whisky. It was the first point below that kicked it all off. And so I got to thinking – if one moment is so applicable to the spirit, what if we glanced at it from the perspective of more moments, more characters? Still stretching? I appreciate it.
While there are aspects of the programme I adore, many elements of Sex and the City haven’t aged well. Is it ok that the writers got things so wrong the first time round? Absolutely not. Can we still enjoy the material today while critiquing it when viewed through a more equitable lens? That’s up to each of us to decide. Personally, I think it’s possible to do both.
That’s enough preamble. Here are the moments that jumped out to me recently as life lessons for whisky lovers – and what they mean for wider drinking culture. Fellow SATC girlies who also love a dram, this one’s for you.
Petrovsky telling Carrie not to add milk to her coffee (S6 Ep 16)
Whatever you think of wealthy artist Aleksandr Petrovsky (if it’s anything other than awful, take a long, hard look at yourself) this moment was a serious ick. He had invited himself over to Carrie’s to cook (she’d “taken a lover!”). He was aghast that she didn’t have an espresso machine. After a short but horrific moment of rodent homicide, they decided to go out for coffee. Carrie goes to put milk in hers. Petrovsky scolds her. “Then it’s not espresso. Milk will ruin it.” When I heard it replayed, I wanted to rip out my headphones in a fit of rage.
Not only is it a potentially serious red flag when it comes to controlling behavour, what gives anyone the right to tell someone else how to enjoy their drink?! The comparison with whisky is obvious. I for one am FED UP of hearing people tell others not to add water to their dram. Or ice. Or how it’s sacrilegious to make cocktails with single malt. Don’t be like Petrovsky. Enjoy your whisky however you want to, and let others do so, too.
“I’m drunk! I’m drunk at Vogue!” (S4 Ep17)
I genuinely cannot fathom how this episode hasn’t been paraded around as a parable for the #MeToo movement. For those unfamiliar, Carrie secures a column at US Vogue. Her original editor Enid (a fantastic character who should have had more airtime) is deemed too demanding, so for some reason she briefly ends up submitting to Julian Fisher. We all know men like Julian. Older, funny, charming, he flatters Carrie. From complimenting her writing to treating her to a trip to the legendary Vogue fashion cupboard, he makes her feel safe. He then plies her with Martinis, hence the ‘I’m drunk at Vogue!’ line. And – without seeking ANY consent whatsoever – he strips down to his underwear while in the fashion cupboard with her.
The incident is, perhaps as a sign of the times when it first aired in 2001, played for laughs. Listening back to it in 2024, it’s grooming. Then workplace sexual harassment. It’s shocking.
I say we all know men like Julian because we really do. It’s an unfortunately awkward thing to write but whether we’re in a whisky bar, at a festival, or at an industry event, the booze flows. Inappropriate behaviour follows more often than it should. Whether it’s sexualised comments, power imbalances that are taken advantage of, or worse, when the alcohol flows, it creates an environment where these things happen. And no – I’m not blaming the whisky. I’m also refuting the notion that being drunk is an excuse.
There are predatory men in whisky. Full stop. Once your eyes are open to problematic behaviour, you see it regularly. Especially at events as the alcohol flows. This SATC episode, and the jolt it gave me when it came up on the podcast, felt like a call to action. We’ve all got a responsibility to call this behaviour what it is. And I personally would like to rid whisky of all men like Julian.
“I've spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!” (S4, Ep 16)
Another unforgettable Season 4 episode, but for a much less dark reason. Carrie, for reasons entirely of her own doing, is in a financially precarious situation. She’s broken up with Aidan (or, more accurately, he dumped her after she cheated on him with Big), and she needs to buy back her apartment. The problem is… she’s spent all her money over the years building a pretty impressive shoe collection. In the end, Charlotte bails her out by remarkably generously selling her old engagement ring and loaning Carrie the money.
You’d think the main cautionary tale would be to actually learn how to save (*gives self a long, hard look*). But actually, I think there’s a lesson here about perspective. Carrie loves fashion. It brings her a great deal of joy. Much in the same way whisky does for many of us.
I don’t think there’s anything fundamentally wrong with collecting whisky if that’s your thing. But I do believe its main purpose is for drinking. Whisky has been crafted for years, sometimes decades, to bring delight to noses and palates. It is for sipping, sharing. In the same way that Carrie’s shoe collection got out of hand and really she lost all perspective, I think collecting whisky can get a bit like that, too. Do I have a handful of bottles squirrelled away for safekeeping? Sure. But 99% gets opened. Because it’s a joy to taste! If collecting brings you the same joy, crack on. But let’s remember what whisky is supposed to be about. Don’t get carried away building a collection at the expense of every other aspect of whisky appreciation.
Whether it’s Sex and the City, Selling Sunset, The OC, Gossip Girl, or another piece of glorious pop culture, if something you’ve recently watched has inspired a whisky epiphany, I want to hear! Drop me a line: kristiane@kristianesherry.com
It’s important to acknowledge that Chris Noth, the actor who played Big, is facing a number of sexual assault allegations made in 2021. Noth denies all allegations against him. While I’ve mentioned the character he plays, I want to stress that I will always stand with victims and survivors of assault.
