Snortin' Whiskey is a blues-rock

Blues-rock

Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...

 song written by Pat Travers

Pat Travers

Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...

 and Pat Thrall

Pat Thrall

Pat Thrall is an American rock guitarist. Thrall is a native of the San Francisco area, and began his recording career in 1972. He played guiatar,vocals and percussion with the group Cookin Mama album: new day , that also had this brother Preston Thrall on percussion.Thrall has worked with former...

. It was originally recorded by the Pat Travers Band, and released on the album Crash And Burn in 1980 on the Polydor label and also as US single the same year. The song was an instant hit, and reached the number one position on request lists at numerous FM radio stations in the United States in 1980. It gained popularity in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 as well. It became one of Pat Travers' signature songs. The success of "Snortin' Whiskey" helped to propel the Crash And Burn album to the number 20 position on the Billboard Magazine's Pop Album Chart, making that particular recording Pat Travers' highest-charting release. The song was featured in the 2004 movie Sideways

Sideways

Sideways is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne and directed by Payne. Adapted from Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, Sideways follows two forty-something year old men, portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, who take a week-long road trip to...

The inspiration for the song came when Thrall showed up to a studio session late. When asked why Thrall was late, he fumbled his words saying the he was “snortin’ whiskey” and “drinkin’ cocaine” the night before.

Musicians who performed on the original studio recording of "Snortin' Whiskey" were:

• Pat Travers
  Pat Travers
  Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...
  
   - lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars (second guitar solo during lead break)
• Pat Thrall
  Pat Thrall
  Pat Thrall is an American rock guitarist. Thrall is a native of the San Francisco area, and began his recording career in 1972. He played guiatar,vocals and percussion with the group Cookin Mama album: new day , that also had this brother Preston Thrall on percussion.Thrall has worked with former...
  
   - lead and rhythm guitars (first guitar solo during lead break)
• Peter "Mars" Cowling - bass
• Tommy Aldridge
  Tommy Aldridge
  Tommy Aldridge is a veteran heavy metal and hard rock drummer. Aldridge is noted for his work with numerous bands and vocalists, most notable being Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.Self taught, Aldridge was inspired by Cream,...
  
  - drums and percussion (including cowbell)