Ho
Ho Ho, Here's To the Spirits of the Season
By
George Brozowski
Tis
the season and it's the reason for this ramble rather than a
rant or a rave however I will stay on course and discourse about
holiday spirits since it's my raison d'être.
The
holidays, as atheists prefer to refer to it, Christmas for the
Christians, Chanuka for the Jews, and Kwanzaa celebrated by
African-Americans have different meanings and traditions but
they all share in their love of the spirit and spirits of the
season. Since I am a devout practicing Black Polish Red White
and Blue Irish-Catholic Jewish Druid Atheist the holidays are
even more meaningful for me. It means it's time to imbibe in
all the glorious drinks that all these wonderful divergent ethnicities,
cultures and religions have gifted to us over the centuries.
Prepare
to unhinge your jaw and stretch your epiglottis and roll some
wonderful new words around in your mouth as we explore the etymology
of holiday libations. The spirits of the season purportedly
originated with Hippocras not to be confused with Hippocrates,
the famous first physician. It was also known as Ypocras, Hypocras,
Ipocras and Ippocras that eventually evolved over the centuries
and in other countries into Gluhwein known as Glug, Glogg, Nog,
Grog, which evolved into one of my personal favorites, the ever
popular Nog n' Grog that became a bit more civilized as it morphed
into eggnog. And of course let's not forget Negus, Eierpunsch,
Rompope, Advocaat, Coquito, Auld Man's Milk, Kogel Mogel, Sack
Posset, Fig Sue, Syllabub, Vin Chaud, and the closer to home
Mulled Wine and Waes Haeil or Wassail, what the hell. Now, if
you think for an instant that I made up any of those words,
guess again because even though I am good, I ain't that good.
Just jump on the Internet and go to your Funk & Wagnalls
website and check it out for yourself. Better yet, to enjoy
your new found historical knowledge down three Wassails in rapid
succession and then recite this list of drinks, if you can!!
Ho, Ho, Ho!!
The
true beauty of these seasonal splendors is that they can be
produced using virtually any spirit and proportions that suit
your fancy and palate. Traditional Grog can be made with a strong
hot tea mixed with sugar and your choice of rum or brandy or
anything else that sets your soul free. You can ignite the rum
or not, you can add carmel if you choose or a touch of lemon
or orange. Personally, I prefer Brandy with a splash of hot
tea but you may prefer hot tea with a splash of Brandy. Whatever!
A
long time ago in a land far, far away, actually England a few
centuries ago, the drink of the season was The Bishop, a hot
punch made of wine, oranges and sugar. Then along came Wassail,
which in Germanic countries, was a contraction of the Middle
English phrase wæs hæil, "be healthy".
It's a hot, spiced punch also associated with Yuletide. Historically,
it began as a mulled ale made with sugar, cinnamon, ginger,
and nutmeg and topped with slices of toast. Over time that evolved
into your choice of a base of wine, fruit juice, or mulled ale,
and again, as you please, with brandy or sherry added along
with any available fruit such as apples or oranges. Gluehwein
is a slightly different variation that adds cloves, sugar and
oranges.
Apple
brandy hot toddies have been around since Adam discovered apples
back in the Garden of Eden and tried to get Eve drunk and we
all know how that turned out. Just boil water, add some honey
and stir until it dissolves and pour lemon juice and apple brandy
into a mug and add a cinnamon stick for more flavor.
Popular during the early 20th century, Brandy Alexander is a
gin-based cocktail. It's a mixture of brandy, dark creme de
cacao and heavy cream shaken and stirred with fresh mint leaves.
Eggnog
by the very nature of its name should at the very least have
some egg in it but the rest is limitless. Normally a mixture
of milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon and beaten eggs, it can be accompanied
by your choice of whiskey or brandy or rum or if you're truly
into the spirit of the season all three which could have the
effect of turning it into a Long Island Eggnog. You might notice
I said brandy rather than cognac. For goodness sake don't take
a rare old cognac and bring any of this other stuff near it
unless you're shamelessly rich or shamefully stupid.
Hot
buttered Rum, as indicated by its name, actually requires that
you use rum (dark preferably but light will do) and butter,
sugar and cloves in hot water.
Of
course there's the usual fruit of the vine that accompanies
most meals now as throughout the rest of the year. However there
is only one wine that appears during the holidays and it must
be drunk during the holidays as it goes bad in January. It is
really the only wine I ever drink with Thanksgiving turkey and
fixings, Beaujolais Nouveau. Those of you who disagree with
me about this wine, and I know there are quite a few of you
cognoscenti out there, can simply remove the stuffing from the
bird and stuff it somewhere else. It's crisp, it's clear, it's
clean and young and spirited and is traditionally born on the
third Thursday of each November after only a few weeks of fermentation
and is meant to be consumed immediately if not sooner.
In
keeping with the Christian spirit of Christmas, we must acknowledge
the season's premier sommelier, Jesus Christ who went beyond
simply recommending wine and actually turned water into wine
at a wedding party when they ran out:
John
2:1-11
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind
used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty
to thirty gallons.[b]
7
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water";
so they filled them to the brim.
8
Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the
master of the banquet."
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water
that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it
had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone
brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after
the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the
best till now."
Man
I would have loved to have tasted that wine, why I bet it was
heavenly and probably even divine!!
Champagne,
sparkling wine, bubbly, call it what you will, it is the top
toast of the season. You can of course use it in your favorite
holiday mixtures in place of other more mundane ingredients
but again save the good stuff for drinking by itself from a
flute.
With
so many wonderful drinks there is just not enough time during
the holidays to do each justice so I extend the spirit of the
spirits through January and February since those two months
have nothing going for them except short dark days and long
cold nights.
Food
pairings are very important to complete the seasonal setting.
It is now that I turn to my favorite chef ever, the Galloping
Gourmet. Virtually anything he prepared will go incredibly well
with wine and spirits as evidenced by him always consuming at
least two bottles of something or another during his cooking
shows.
Oh,
by the way, if you're like me and the spirits of days past come
to haunt and torment your present day then turn to the traditional
Japanese ghostbuster, Tamagosake a mixture of egg, sugar and
sake drunk to cure hangovers.
Have
a way very merry, Ho Ho Ho.
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