Red, White and Royal Blue

Author: Casey McQuiston
Pages: 421
Overall: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot and Themes: 3/5
​Cheers Factor: 5/5
​Mocktail Pairing: Twinnings English Breakfast Tea with sugar and milk. I fell in love with English Breakfast tea because it is my Nana’s favorite and I’m excited I can share my tea obsession here.

Cocktail Pairing: Clairemont Charm
1 ½ ounces Bourbon
3 ounces spiced black tea
½ ounce of honey simple syrup
Splash of lemon juice
Step one: Brew spiced tea and let sit to cool
Step two: Combine ingredients in a glass or shaker with ice
Step three: Stir ingredients, strain, and serve 

​I am not a dark liquor person and don’t really like bourbon, but this drink was actually very refreshing. Haley and I combined the use of tea to represent Henry’s English roots and the bourbon in homage to Alex who drank it throughout the novel.

Take a Shot: Alex Diaz Claremont is the first son of the United States. Henry is the Prince of England. The two have always had a rivalry that comes to a head when they are both at the royal wedding of Phillip, Henry’s older brother, and it involves a royal cake ending on the floor. After this public debacle both men are forced to fake a friendship by their respective press teams. Their friendship however quickly becomes more than that as they begin to realize that their feelings may be more difficult to hide and their relationship even harder because of their public statuses. 

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