# Texas Driver wine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703 "2008-05-18T00:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/1 "2008-05-18T00:56:25Z")
In a lot of Stephen King novels, a mention is made of a drink entitled “Texas Driver”. And yet, I can’t find neither hide nor heels of this online. What gives-is it just a name King made up? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/2 "2008-05-20T04:06:13Z")
Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/3 "2008-05-20T04:42:01Z")
My google-fu is not up to the task. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/4 "2008-05-20T05:50:21Z")
Sounds like a local concoction. Must be made with vodka if it has the word “driver” in it. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/5 "2008-05-20T06:22:19Z")
Mentioned on [this site.](http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/screwdriver-(cocktail)/) > [@](#): > > A white rum screwdriver is a variation. A 1960s variant of this cocktail, known as an astronaut screwdriver, substituted Tang for orange juice. Another variant, known as the red screwdriver, also adds a splash of Red Bull to it. Other variations include the Napa valley screwdriver made with grape juice, the Washington screwdriver made with apple juice, **and the Texas screwdriver, featuring Ruby Red grapefruit juice**. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/6 "2008-05-20T07:23:35Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] In a lot of Stephen King novels, a mention is made of a drink entitled “Texas Driver”. And yet, I can’t find neither hide nor heels of this online. What gives-is it just a name King made up? [/QUOTE] It’s made up. The favorite drink of Buddy Repperton, Texas Driver is supposed to be a low-end fortified wine, similar to Ripple (Fred Sanford’s choice), Thunderbird, MD 20/20, Cisco, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/7 "2008-05-20T07:25:04Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Mentioned on [this site.](http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/screwdriver-(cocktail)/) [/QUOTE] Different. A Texas screwdriver is a mixed drink. Texas Driver was a bottled commercial drink that was featured in King’s story _Christine_, among others. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/8 "2008-05-20T11:15:38Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] The favorite drink of Buddy Repperton, Texas Driver is supposed to be a low-end fortified wine, similar to Ripple (Fred Sanford’s choice), Thunderbird, MD 20/20, Cisco, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose. [/QUOTE] According to the [description in _Christine_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0451160444/ref=sib_pdp_cap_0?ie=UTF8&keywords=Texas%20Driver&ie=UTF8&v=search-inside#reader-page), it is closer to a [wine cooler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_cooler) than a fortified wine: [QUOTE=Christine, page 309] “A State Police source was quoted as saying “liquor was probably a factor” --an officially opaque way of saying that the shattered remains of over half a dozen bottles of a **juice-and-wine combination** sold under the trade name Texas Driver had been found in the wreckage.” [/QUOTE] .. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/9 "2008-05-20T13:23:32Z")
Given Stephen King’s obsessive penchant for inserting pop culture and brand names into his fiction, I would never have had a doubt about this. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/10 "2008-05-20T13:44:33Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] It’s made up. The favorite drink of Buddy Repperton, Texas Driver is supposed to be a low-end fortified wine, similar to Ripple (Fred Sanford’s choice), Thunderbird, MD 20/20, Cisco, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose. [/QUOTE] [Jake] Night Train’s a mean wine. [/Jake] ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-driver-wine/449703/11 "2008-05-20T15:23:08Z")
Thanks, guys. Usually King uses actual products, as mentioned above, so I assumed this was the case. Huh.