Can a story improve with the help of booze? Well, that’s the question Esquire set out to answer in its April issue—not a bad question to ask, I might add. Let’s face it: we’ve all hit that roadblock when writing only to turn to a glass of wine (or four) in hopes of finding an ounce of inspiration. In my case, that end result usually requires a re-write—but that’s neither here nor there. Still, a little nip never hurt anyone (as I enjoy my first glass of white).

Writer Kendall Hamilton and his editor at the men’s magazine devised a plan whereby Hamilton would be given a series of essay topics—and a bottle of Johnnie Walker.

“The first would come while I was sober, with others to follow at ninety-minute intervals as I began to sip steadily from a bottle of Johnnie Walker. Self-administered breath tests would track my progress and verify—if the text somehow didn’t—that the whisky was having an effect. As it turned out…well, you’ll see.

You see where this is going. Next time you see the mag, check out Hamilton’s results. Page 156.