Today is the Glorificatin of St. Herman of Alaska, one of that select group of of Christian royalty known as missionaries. It is worth noting that Saint Herman and his fellow laborers were so successful in their mission to the people of Alaska that when the United States bought Alaska from the Russians, that the U.S. government suppressed the Orthodox Christian faith, considering it part of the native culture.
I have grown to love that part of Scripture called by some "the Apocrypha". On this day, when we celebrate the glorification of of Saint Herman of Alaska, an important saint in the American church, we are assigned this passage from Wisdom of Solomon:
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule other peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones. (Wisdom 3:1-9)
Since today is a wine day, according to the Church Calendar, I thought I would invent a new cocktail in honor of St. Herman.
The Spruce Island
3 ounces Gordon's Gin (I've been drinking Gordon's lately in honor of the late father of my friend, Jeff)
2 dashes Angustora bitters
1/4 tsp orange flower water
shake together with ice
strain into a chilled cocktail glass
enjoy
2 comments:
I happened to notice orange flower water in the store a few days ago, and remembered your recipe, so I got a bottle. Next to it on the shelf was rose water, which I've seen in the occasional recipe, so I got a bottle of that too. Same brand, same bottle.
As I was concocting The Spruce Island, the girls were pestering me about something, and I mistakenly added the rose water to the 3 ounces of gin in the shaker. As there was no way to undo this mistake, I thought, "Well, might as well throw in the orange blossom water and the bitters and see what happens."
It is difficult to describe the wretchedness of the result. I actually had to take a second sip to convince myself that the first one was as bad as I thought it was. But two sips was all I could muster...the rest went down the drain.
Sadly, that was the last of the gin, so The Spruce Island will have to wait until supplies are replenished.
Oh! I didn't know you read my blog. I guess now you know exactly what kind of right wing nut job you picked to be your girls' godfather. :-o
Better luck next time with the cocktail. It sounds like a horrible experience you had. If it makes you feel any better, I once did the same thing with rose water instead of vanilla extract in a milkshake.
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