Drink Identifier: Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery

The drinks in the Knives Out universe are often used to provide further insight into its characters. So let’s look at what the characters in Glass Onion are drinking and speculate on what it might mean.

I *did* leave out some brands/bottles if they didn’t service the plot, since it was clear that Diageo paid for a lot of product placement (with a couple of notable exceptions.) I also want to again plead to Netflix to allow screenshots. I can’t imagine it does anything to curb piracy but it does make creating posts like these that provide free publicity more dificult.

*Caution* Spoilers Ahead!

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The Drinks of Glass Onion by Character

• Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig)
  • Pastis De Marseille Anise Liquor
  • Jared Leto’s Hard Kombucha
• Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson)
  • Martini with Olives
  • Cuban Breeze
• Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn)
  • Room Temp White Wine (Pinot Gris)
  • Bacardi Rum
• Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.)
  • Lagavulin 16 Scotch Whisky
• Helen Brand (Janelle Monae)
  • Whiskey Soda
  • Jared Leto’s Hard Kombucha
• Andi Brand (Janelle Monae)
  • Michelob Ultra Light Beer
  • Red Wine
• Duke Cody (Dave Bautista)
  • Budweiser
  • Bulleit Bourbon
  • Bulleit Bourbon with Pineapple Juice
  • Corona
• Miles Bron (Edward Norton)
  • Corona
  • Bulleit
  • Jared Leto’s Hard Kombucha
  • Red Wine
• Whiskey (Madelyn Cline)
  • Don Julio tequila
• Peg, Birdie’s assistant (Jessica Henwick)
  • Red Solo Cup Nonsense
  • Ketel One Vodka
• Derol, the random slacker (Noah Segan)
  • Corona
  • White Russian

What Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) Drinks in Glass Onion

Benoit Blanc is re-introduced in Glass Onion sitting in a tub and drinking Ricard Pastis de Marseille, an anise-flavored liquor. I personally have never had this particular brand as anise is not really my jam. Anise tastes like black licorice and that flavor always seems to be polarizing.

This is one of the few non-Diageo brands shown in the film which suggests this was chosen specifically for Benoit Blanc to drink and *maybe* wasn’t craven product placement. It also sets Benoit apart from the rest of the liquor drinkers in the film.

Jared Leto’s Hard Kombucha (called “Red Planet”, a nod to Leto’s band 30 Seconds to Mars), has a big role in Glass Onion and, luckily for all of us, is completely fictional. This fake celebrity vanity brand of kombucha boasts a 10% alcohol level (similar to wine and very strong for any kombucha). Blanc is slightly horrified by the idea, but he does try it because he’s not lame.

What Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) Drinks in Glass Onion

Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) is rarely (never) shown sober in the film. She is introduced drinking a martini with olives at a house party during lockdown with her “small inner circle”. After arriving at Miles’ private island, she mainly drinks her signature cocktail: The Cuban Breeze.

What sounds like a sugary monstrosity not meant for those with acid reflux, the cocktail is described in the movie (and in real life) as vodka, amaretto, and pineapple juice mixed together. Given the ultra-pale color of Birdie’s cocktail it’s probably safe to assume hers is mostly vodka.

Honestly, this sounds like an easy-to-drink cocktail that can deliver a nice punch of alcohol without tasting it, which seems right up Birdie’s alley and would explain how drinking a bunch of these got her kicked out of a club.

What Claire (Kathryn Hahn) Drinks in Glass Onion

I nearly spit out my own drink when Miles announces Claire’s drink of choice. “Room temp white wine.” Both mind-splittingly boring and pretty gross at the same time. “Pinot Gris” she corrects him, as if that makes it any better. Pinto Gris is just pretentious Pinot Grigio, known for being the white wine of choice for basic moms (not there’s anything wrong with that that) and easy to drink.

Maybe too easy in the case of Claire, who is also never seen without a drink once she gets to the island. She seemingly finishes off every bottle on the island as the weekend goes on and is reduced to doing something truly henious…

…drinking room temp Bacardi straight out of the bottle. No one should ever do this. It will inevitably end one way as is seen in the movie. Claire just starts vomiting into a bucket. This will also happen to you if you attempt this, do not do it.

This is also the other non-Diageo brand in the film and the only one seen on the island. Why break from the rest of the product placement-friendly alcohol brands on this list? I’m thinking it’s Rian Johnson is using product placement as a clue to show Claire has more going on than is revealed in the movie. Or maybe the vomit joke was in the script and Diageo didn’t like it. We may never know for sure.

What Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) Drinks in Glass Onion

Lionel is one of the few characters consistent in his drink of choice. Lagavulin 16 Scotch Whisky, neat. He’s also one of the few characters that doesn’t seem totally knocked off his ass by the time Duke is murdered.

Lagavulin is perhaps best known by me as the drink of choice of Ron Swanson in Parks and Rec. As a poor person who doesn’t have a strong affinity for Scotch, this is a luxury outside of my purview, but as with most Scotches, people who love it become crazy attached to it for both its flavor and not just as a status symbol.

What Helen Brand (Janelle Monae) Drinks in Glass Onion

We don’t know she’s Helen until later, but it’s definitely the unassuming twin sister that gets faced off Jared Leto’s fictional hard kombucha. While she claims she “doesn’t drink” early in the film, she views kombucha as a “health drink” despite its high 10% ABV. She then proceeds to get a bunch of info from her uninhibited drunken snooping which leads Benoit Blanc to suggest she get drunk more often.

This is perhaps not the best idea, as the next time we see her drinking, she’s chugging the whiskey soda Miles had earlier claimed was her twin sister Andi’s favorite drink (although the Andi in flashbacks is never seen drinking cocktails). After finishing the drink she smashes a bunch of glass art and burns the Mona Lisa. A bit of a mixed bag with her drunken temperament.

What Andi (Janelle Monae) Drinks in Glass Onion

Andi Brand drinks sensibly and with class, much as we would expect from her character. She’s shown sipping on Michelob Ultra light beer at the original Glass Onion and later, even when devastated, she’s shown just having some red wine. We only know Andi from flashbacks, but she seems like the most put-together one who isn’t trying to escape feelings of inadequacy like the rest of the people she uses her friends.

What Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) Drinks in Glass Onion

Duke Cody, what to do with a character like you? No discernable talent or self-respect to be found, and pimps out his own girlfriend continuously for a chance at being a slightly more legitimate media personality. But…. he’s fictional (luckily no one like this exists in real life) and it’s dave Bautista so I kinda love him anyway.

He’s mostly shown drinking Budweiser and Corona beer. However, his nose is stuck firmly up Miles’ ass so he eventually switches to the same drink Miles drinks, a Bulleit Old Fashioned. So, they never say it’s an Old Fashioned, but there’s an orange peel in both of their glasses and it looks like Miles adds bitters when he’s making his, so that’s what I’m going with.

Of course, this kiss-assery gets Duke killed when Miles spikes his cocktail with Pineapple juice. While a splash of pineapple juice in an old-fashioned sounds intriguing and possibly delicious, there’s no way it’s worth an anaphylactic death.

What Miles (Edward Norton) Drinks in Glass Onion

Miles’ “signature” drink is the Bulleit Old Fashioned. This is the second insecure fuckboy who loves Old Fashioneds I’ve written about and at least Ryan Gosling’s character was redeemable (sort of). It’s a basic cocktail that *is* delicious, but someone with the resources of Miles could be drinking something equally simple to make yet much more complex. But Miles is a moron.

Then he just drinks a bunch of other stuff the rest of the time. Usually what other characters are drinking because he’s obviously desperate to seem cool.

The rest of the drinks just make him seem more like a doofus poseur. I’d see why Benoit was endlessly annoyed at him.

What Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) Drinks In Glass Onion

Whiskey is a party girl that at least seems to know that she’s wallowing with trash. The “disruptors” all have this shared delusion that, even though they’re not doing ‘good’ things or the ‘right’ thing, they’re at least doing something no matter how immoral. Whiskey is mainly used as a sexual object and she doesn’t desvere that.

Whiskey is mostly seen drinking out of an opaque gold cup, because it doesn’t matter what she’s drinking as long as it’s gilded in gold. She is seen drinking a shot of whiskey at dinner (my girl) but towards the end of the night she’s mainly just cradling a bottle of Don Julio Blanco tequila.

What Peg (Jessica Henwick) Drinks In Glass Onion

The staff in Glass Onion is treated… well like they don’t matter. In fact, while there *has* to be someone on the island making the guests’ food, cleaning, and cutting garnishes, we never see any staff other than a robot dog carrying luggage. Are all the staff robots just out of frame? Are they banished from sight, always ducking behind statues and curtains when the characters come into the room? That’s the real mystery here.

Either way, Peg is Birdie’s assistant and she’s treated like scum. Everyone gets personalized glasses and fancy drinks and Peg is just sort of passed a mystery drink in a red solo cup like she showed up late to the frat party. As the drunken night progresses and some of the characters resort to drinking straight booze, Peg is not left out and she’s shown drinking Ketel One straight from the bottle.

Peg is just as opportunistic and self-serving as the rest of this awful lot, so she fits right in. Sure she’s stuck, but she’s stuck like everyone else is, as a result of their own choices to be a hanger-on. She’s still great though.

What Derol (Noah Segan) Drinks in Glass Onion.

What is Derol’s purpose? He apparently exists just to smoke pot, drink Corona beer, and be a nonsensical running gag in the movie. He also has all the fixin’s for a White Russian (and is briefly seen drinking one.) Notice the Kahlua and Ketel One Vodka in his stoner pad.

So, we have a character that slacks off, has zero ambition, gets stoned, and drinks White Russians. In short,he’s a Lebowski. Miles just sort of has a Lebowski. Is he there for a confidence boost for Miles? Does Miles just want a Lebowski hanging around? Who knows, but in the end, aren’t we all Derol?

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