RAISE a glass to the generosity of the Thinking Drinkers at the Great Yorkshire Fringe in York. In the discerning drinking duo's Guide To The Legends Of Liquor, each audience member will sample five free drinks during an hour of entertainment, comedy, costumes and liquid learning.

"This is not a joke," say award-winning drinks experts Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham. "They are free. And they are drinks. Alcoholic drinks. After a beer to share with friend, stranger or strange friend, everyone will be offered four small shots of luxury spirits.

"The free drinks are not something we tend to trade on at Thinking Drinkers towers, because there’s considerable depth to our theatrical performance. Nevertheless, it is a true story, if you come to our show, you will get to drink. For free."

McFarland and Sandham will be thinking about drinking in the Turn Pot spiegeltent on St Sampson's Square on July 30 and 31 at 8.30pm, when they also will be encouraging the audience to follow their "motto, mantra and message", namely Drink Less, but Drink Better. "Because, while we’re adamant society shouldn’t feel ashamed of drinking, there's a strong case to be made that if you imbibe wisely, you can still enjoy alcohol and achieve important things," say Ben and Tom.

One minute, alcohol is a soul mate, the next a psychopath, they posit, "It can be both creative muse and pesky mischief-maker," they say, as they embark on an intoxicating journey through the liquid lives of history's most extraordinary elbow-benders.

"This is exactly what our show is about; a celebration of great men and women in history who have unabashedly embraced a drink and simultaneously contributed to society. So it is, that through the course of our performance, as you enjoy those free drinks, we present the heroes of hooch, doyens of drink, the legends of liquor.

York Press:

"Drink Less, Drink Better," advise Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham. Picture: Steve Ullathorne

"We compile a leader board as we go, and in a fitting climax we reveal the greatest drinker of all time, and as we appraise each legend and reveal how they enhanced our world, we celebrate their beneficence with their favourite beverage."

So, who will the audience meet in this who’s who of hooch? Step forward Alexander the Great, James Bond, Winston Churchill, Humphrey Bogart, Dorothy Parker, The Goddess Mayahuel, Andre the Giant, Jesus Christ and some good ol’ cowboys, as the Thinking Drinkers celebrate "the men and women who have used alcohol to light a fire under the rocking chair of moribund ideas, rather than those irresponsible imbibers who have given drink its devilish reputation".

If this sounds a tad serious, Ben and Tom stress that should you come to their show, "there’s a good chance you will laugh, because some of it is funny, and having a laugh while you enjoy free drinks combines two of the most useful practices in life".

"Why you laugh is not so easy to clarify," they say. "Possibly the one liners, maybe the surreal twists and turns, it could even be the revealing costumes, but at some point, we feel confident you will laugh. Because while these drinkers are indeed legends, there’s plenty of historical context to offer an element of comedy."

As if that were not enough, you will actually learn something, promise the Thinking Drinkers. "As well as enlightening you on the lives of our famous drinkers, we’ll proffer pearls of wisdom on the drinks themselves. You’ll discover how Guinness has turned its hand to micro-brewing, reviving original Porter recipes, and how Belvedere vodka is in Bond’s martinis in the forthcoming Spectre movie," they say.

"We’ll take you through the complexities of Buffalo Trace’s award-winning bourbon and the artisan ageing techniques of Jameson Irish whiskeys We’ll even provide some Plymouth gin, a spirit so tasty it tempted the lips of an American President and one of the most famous Prime Ministers in history."

As drinks experts, Ben and Tom have been writing about all things alcohol for a combined 30 years. "We've even won awards for our drinks books, don’t you know. And in that time we’ve made it out mission to convince people that if we approach alcohol in the right way, we can savour it and still keep Britain Great," they say. "So in amongst the education, comedy and celebration, and along with the free drinks, we’ve barely even mentioned that is what we hope you take from our show: Winston Churchill once said: 'I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me' and that’s certainly a fine adage to live by. So come and see the show, laugh, learn and enjoy a few drinks.

"Did we mention that the drinks are free?"

Tom Sandham and Ben McFarland present The Thinking Drinkers' Guide To The Legends Of Liquor in the Turn Pot, St Sampson's Square, York, July 30 and 31 at 8.30pm. Tickets: £15 on 01904 500600 or at greatyorkshirefringe.com 

 

Fact File

These are the smart drinks that each and every audience member will sample at Thursday or Friday's show:
• Guinness Dublin Porter & Guinness West Indies Porter. Innovative beers based on historic recipes from the Brewers Project at Guinness in Dublin.
• Belvedere Vodka Luxury. Rye spirit from Poland and James Bond’s chosen vodka for a shaken martini in the forthcoming film Spectre.
• Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Deliciously sweet and spicy American whiskey that works neat or in a Julep cocktail
• Jameson Irish Whiskey Triple. Distilled, blended, soft sweetness balanced by a rich spice imparted during wood ageing.
• Plymouth Gin. A beautifully balanced blend of sweet botanicals in a historic recipe that makes a marvellous gin martini.

Did you know?

When they are not performing their Guide To The Legends Of Liquor, Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham travel the world dispensing spiritual wisdom via their writings for the Jamie Oliver Magazine, the Daily Telegraph and Time Out. Last autumn, their book Thinking Drinkers: Enlightened Imbibers Guide To Alcohol was published by Jacqui Small.