November, 2014 - Boudica - Bourbon Swizzle

Boudica (d. 60 AD)

Was the queen of the British Iceni (a Celtic) tribe.  Her husband Prasutagus had been an ally to the Roman emperor, but upon his death, the Romans did not honor his will, which left Iceni to his daughters, and instead annexed Iceni as a conquered land.  Boudica and her daughters were raped and flogged.  The Iceni were enraged, and organized a revolt with their neighboring Trinovantes - with Boudica elected as their leader.  Boudica was ultimately defeated - but not before her armies destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester) and sacked and burned the new Roman city of Londinium (London).  An estimated 70,000-80,000 Romans and British were killed in the three cities by those led by Boudica.  The crisis caused the Emperor Nero to consider withdrawing all Roman forces from Britain, but Suetonius's eventual victory over Boudica confirmed Roman control of the province.  Boudica then either killed herself so she would not be captured, or fell ill and died (historical texts are not clear on the exact circumstances of her death).

The Drink

Bourbon Swizzle
2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz apricot brandy
1/2 oz lemon juice
top with 5-6 oz ginger ale and lemon wheel

Drinkability:  4
Drunkability:  4
Taxic Diversity:  3.5
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation:  5

Comments:  "drunkability depends on how much ginger ale used."  "We are out of bourbon :-("

From "Women Who Sought Revenge" hosted by Ball Buster

July 2013 - Queen Gwendolyn - Caramel Martini

Queen Gwendolen

Gwendolen was a legendary queen of Britain.  She was the rejected queen of King Locrinus until she defeated her husban in battle and took the leadership of the Britons herself, becoming their first recorded queen regnant.  

A daughter of Corineus, king of Cornwall, Gwendolen was married to Locrinus, the eldest of King Brutus's three sons.  Upon her father's death, Locrinus divorced her in favour of his Germanic mistress, Estrildis (by whom he already had a daughter), and Gwendolen fled to Cornwall.  Having built up a large army, she waged war against her ex-husband; a battle was fought near the river Stour, in which Locrinus was killed.  After having both Estrildis and her daughter drowned in the river Severn, Gwendolen assumed her ex-husband's throne and ruled independently and peacefully for fifteen years, then abdicated in favor of her son and lived out the remainder of her life in Cornwall.

The Drink:

Caramel Martini

1 1/2 shot Jameson
3/4 shot Caramel Liqueur
1/2 shot Rosso/Sweet Red Vermouth
1 shot fresh pressed pineapple juice or puree
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Garnish: lemon twist and pineapple wedge on rim

Drinkability - 4
Drunkabiliy - 4
Taxic Diversity - 3
Accessibility - 3
Priority for Conservation - 5 (out-liers due to extra pineapple-y-ness in some batches)

Hosted by CZ

2008 - Margery Kempe - Sabbath Calm

B. 1373 – D 1438
Margery Kempe was married at the age of 20. After the birth of her first child, she fell ill and claimed to have seen visions of God. She become one of the great English mystics, took a vow of chastity – after having 13 more children – and took on the life of a pilgrim. Traveling around Europe visiting Holy sites. She wrote “The Book of Margery Kempe”, the first autobiography in the English language about her travels around Europe. Some scholars believe she was views as mad, but given the options for women, she was probably canny.

The Cocktail:

Sabbath Calm 1 pony brandy
1 pony port
1 pony black coffee
1 egg
1/2 spoon sugar
2/3 glass of cream

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg

Drinkability: 5
Drunkability: 2.5
Taxic Diverstiy: 2
Accessibility: 3
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments:
VF: Alcohol starbucks!
SS: Will I make it again? Maybe tonight!

featured at Literary Ladies hosted by SS