When the 2004 wine-infused movie Sideways got a best picture nomination, I started pumping up my Oscar celebration by pairing drinks with nominated movies. This grouping does nothing to improve on predicting winners, but it enhances viewing pleasure and Oscar parties. Finding a match for all 10 of this year’s nominees presents some challenges, so I plan to spend Sunday night’s show focusing on the most obvious combo: the pink and bubbly Barbie absolutely deserves something I always enjoy, a sparkling rose. Sad though I feel at nomination oversights for Barbie director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie, I know Champagne mitigates my mood. I neither expect nor want Barbie to win best picture because I long ago jumped on the Oppenheimer bandwagon. Much as I respect fine work by predicted winners Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, and Robert Downey, Jr., I never came up with an ideal wine for the project. Instead, a more explosive beverage like the Atomic Bomb cocktail seems appropriate, a mix where Tabasco sauce adds heat to vodka and pineapple juice. Other alternatives include imitating the main character of American Fiction with a surprising choice of chenin blanc; or follow Holdovers predicted supporting actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph with basic whiskey. Personally, I prefer her co-star Paul Giamatti’s choice of Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac but face obstacles like its price tag of about $5,000 in a flashy decanter. On the other hand, though Poor Things mostly ignores alcohol, my choice for winner, Emma Stone, plays a character who eagerly jumps into anything pleasurable, which allows full license to choose whatever makes you happy on Oscar night.
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