Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
It’s been a long, traumatic road for the characters of The Walking Dead, and they deserve a break to sit down and relax with a drink.
In a post-apocalyptic world, you can’t be too choosy about what you drink and when or where it’s available – but what would Team Rick and his foes drink in a perfect world?
If there were some fortified, walker-proof, neutral ground bar somewhere out there – with electricity, ice, and a fully stocked bar – what would Rick sit down and drink? Is Negan a hard liquor or a cheap beer kind of guy? Is Carol really just pining away for a nice Chardonnay?
In a world of unlimited choices and guaranteed – if temporary – safety, what would The Walking Dead cast choose if they sat down to have a few drinks with you?
Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Carl – Corpse Reviver #2
Too soon? Although Carl’s obviously not drinking much of anything since he went the way of the Walkers on The Walking Dead midseason premiere, this classic hangover cure seems like the perfect choice for a newly revived corpse. While there are several versions of this drink that vary widely in ingredients – Corpse Reviver #1, for example, being cognac-based with apple brandy – the Corpse Reviver #2 is traditionally the most popular.
It’s a gin-based drink with lemon, Lillet, and Cointreau with an absinthe rinse. A little bit sweet, a little bit sour, and very drinkably dangerous. I don’t know how it works as a hangover cure – so it probably won’t do Carl much good in his condition – but it is one heck of a classy nighttime cocktail.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 9 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Rick – Whiskey
After eight seasons of The Walking Dead, it should be pretty obvious to anyone watching that Rick is a whiskey man. Whether he’s negotiating a truce or attending a neighborhood party, Rick’s preferred drink is whiskey served neat. “I brought whiskey” may have been the Governor’s famous phrase, but he brought the whiskey for Rick.
Whiskey is often considered a rugged drink, but at the same time, it has an element of mellowness – the bite of alcohol, oak, and spice followed by soft notes of vanilla or caramel. Rick is a little like that, rugged and mellow. Whiskey is the perfect drink to represent the southern gentleman who maybe doesn’t always make great choices – and Rick definitely has a history of very bad choices.
Danai Gurira as Michonne – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Michonne – Red Wine
In Michonne’s dreams, we have seen her as a wife and mother, a tough-as-nails cook in the kitchen — a really nice kitchen — and she would have looked completely at home with a glass of red wine in her hand as she samurais the crudité.
Michonne has a coolheaded demeanor that would pair well with something musty and full-bodied, but with a passionate edge that adds notes of smoke and spice. Under her reserved determination there lies a warm, fun-loving woman with a quirky sense of humor, rounding it out with a juicy, fruity finish.
These are tasting notes you might find in a Syrah, Malbec, or a Zinfandel. If you really want the whole themed experience, there’s even a delicious and inexpensive Zinfandel called Zombie Zin.
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa; group – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Daryl – Moonshine
Daryl is a purebred, backwoods Southerner, and what would any good hillbilly be without his homemade moonshine? And try as he might, he just doesn’t look at home with a glass of wine in his hand. He even has a talent for sniffing it out, as we see when he takes Beth to a rundown woodland shack for safekeeping.
Not satisfied with the peach schnapps she tries to get drunk on, Daryl knows from experience where to find the illicit moonshine in a man’s castle. Daryl now also knows from experience that moonshine is good for bonding with your travel partner.
The process for making moonshine is similar to that of whiskey but minus the barreled aging. And while it’s not against federal law to own a still, some states — including Georgia — do have laws against owning stills for alcohol distillation.
Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 9 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Carol – Lager
Carol is a practical kind of woman. She doesn’t have much use for superficial pursuits involving refined tastes or gourmet flavors. She is a practical woman with practical tastes. A woman who would kill two innocent sick people to prevent the spread of a deadly disease or who would kill a child who poses a threat to the safety of the community is a completely practical woman.
She has no time to put on airs. She is not a connoisseur. Carol has been seen to enjoy a simple beer or two, something light and easy drinking, nothing fancy or pretentious. Maybe a light domestic for everyday drinking, something like Bud Lite or a Miller, or even a Heineken if she were to go for something imported.
Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Maggie – Gin Martini
Maggie has had it hard since the world ended — first losing her whole family, one by one, then falling in love and starting a family of her own with Glenn only to lose him too. Life has been difficult, especially now that she’s in charge of an entire community.
Nowadays she has a look on her face reminiscent of a crazed Gloria Swanson – desperate, determined, and alone. Her hollow staring eyes and sunken frown makes it look like she’s just drank something bitter and burning – like she just took a whole gin martini as a shot with another as a chaser.
Some studies suggest that gin drinkers are more likely to be psychopaths, correlating an attraction to bitterness to sadistic behavior. And Maggie certainly looks bitter.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Negan – Mad Dog 2020
The reason is partially in the name. It’s no secret that Negan is completely, criminally, psychotically insane — a mad dog of a person, driven by rabid tenacity. He doesn’t really need anything extra to fuel his aggression or to get his creative juices flowing when it comes to his imaginative brutality.
But if Negan did have a drink of choice, he seems like a guy who appreciates cold efficiency. This fortified wine is known both for its high alcohol and sugar content as well as for its affordability — making this a solid get drunk fast beverage with no frills attached.
The grotesque colors and sickly fruity flavors alone might be enough to drive anyone insane, but in Negan’s case, it would just be another wacky attraction to the whole package.
Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, Elyse Dufour as Frankie – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Eugene – Kombucha
Eugene is not in a healthy place right now on The Walking Dead and really needs to cut way back on his drinking, so maybe a nice non-alcoholic option that will help repopulate the gut flora his heavy drinking has probably depleted.
After so many crosses, double-crosses, lies, and cons — all just to stay alive and on the winning side — Eugene’s conscience has really taken a beating and you can see its eating away at him. Maybe its time to do some yoga, start practicing some transcendental meditation or shave his mullet in an act of contrition.
Eugene really needs to focus on himself in a non-destructive way, and maybe drinking kombucha is a good first step on the road to self-healing.
Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel Stokes; single – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Father Gabriel – Hot Toddy
Poor Father Gabriel hasn’t been feeling too well lately. Negan has this crazy idea that exposure to walker’s guts can make you deathly ill and he wants to kill off Team Rick this way. Even though the idea completely goes against established Walking Dead continuity, Father Gabriel coincidentally became deathly ill after exposure to walker guts.
While Father Gabriel is now on the road to recovery, his best bet if he wants a drink will be to turn to the soothing, curative powers of the hot toddy. The hot toddy is made of whiskey mixed with hot water, with cinnamon, lemon, honey, and/or ginger.
It’s not going to help his damaged eye sight any, and it might not even speed up the healing process any, but it’s still a nice warm comforting beverage to help drink away the feelings.
Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 9 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Ezekiel – Tiger Beer
While for a time Ezekiel was known as the King of his people, taking on the role of leader with Shakespearean gusto and a pure desire to keep his people safe, we all know to whom his heart truly belonged.
Shiva, Ezekiel’s pet tiger, was his best and perhaps his only true friend. She was his protector and companion as much as he was hers. And when it came down to life or death for Ezekiel, Shiva came to his rescue and sacrificed herself to save him.
This final loss was too much to bear, sending Ezekiel into a bottomless depression. In honor of Shiva, maybe he reached for the popular Singapore brand Tiger Beer. Tiger even partners with the WWF to help prevent tiger poaching.
Did we miss anyone? Do you have other ideas for what your favorite Walking Dead characters would drink it sitting down at a bar next to you? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter for more on your favorite shows!