Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter

Originally posted to our Patreon

Note: I have since made a full recovery!

I am still indisposed but I have made significant improvements over the last two days; however, it is also hot as blazes. My usual antidote to feeling ill is to drink scads of blisteringly hot tea but I cannot indulge in such balm when the weather is hovering around the surface of the sun! As dear Freddy Prinze Charming and I discussed last Friday during our virtual tea party, there are more alternatives to a refreshing summertime bevvy than a tall glass of water. (I do recommend keeping up on those glasses of water, to be sure!)

And yes, certainly, one may always turn to iced tea, bubble tea, cold brew tea, Thai iced tea, or sun tea over ice. These are excellent options, but if I cannot have my tea hot, I am often persnickety about the other options. We must all have character flaws, and this is (one of) mine!

As an aside, when I am under the weather, I tend to avoid alcohol so I’ve been certain to include both Tipple Free and Tipple Full summer refreshment favourites.

Tipple Free

Madame’s Dickens Punch — roughly 2 parts strawberry lemonade to 1 part sparkling apple cider and 1 part sparkling mineral water. Everything should be chilled and then mixed in a punch bowl or tumbler. Garnish with a strawberry or for a festive occasion, add frozen strawberries to the punch bowl. (To create a sweeter punch, replace the mineral water with a sparkling lemon-lime soda) 

Grandmama Askew’s Strawberry Lemonade — the first step is to create or purchase your favourite lemonade. Grandmama grew her own strawberries every year so she would cut up, boil down her strawberries and push them through a sieve to make a lovely strawberry syrup which she added to her lemonade. 2 parts lemonade to 1 part strawberry syrup. She garnished with edible flowers from her garden and during very hot days, she would freeze these posies into little ice blocks. This also makes a lovely summer punch on its own. 

Grand Auntie Askew’s Summer Zinger — sometimes one wants a little more vim in a summer refreshment. Take 2 parts ginger beer or ginger ale–your preference entirely–and add 1 part cranberry juice or other tart juice. Stir well and serve over a tall tumbler of ice. Garnish with a twist of candied ginger or citrus wedge.  

Tipple Full

Moscow Mule — Of course, there are many recipes for a Moscow Mule and I make no claim to being a cocktail expert but this is a very straightforward recipe. I adore this cocktail for its sharp, crisp notes, especially when the temperatures are creeping up to unbearable. 

Ton Ton Michel’s Provencal Summer — This is a riff on a simple cocktail one may find in Europe in the summer. Add equal parts dry vermouth and tonic water to a glass over ice. Add a squeeze of lime and garnish with a lime wedge. One may add Pernod absinthe instead of tonic water for a more potent affair. I would recommend sweet vermouth with Pernod. 

Death in the Afternoon — Invented by Hemingway, this is one of my favourite potent and summery cocktails. This is something I only indulge in when I have nowhere to be in any particular hurry or when I have decided to spend an evening in. Ahem. Add 1 part absinthe to a coupe or champagne glass top with 2 parts chilled champagne or sparkling white wine of your choice.  Garnish with cheekiness.

Gin and Tonic — In truth, this has been my summer cocktail since I had the happy opportunity to spend a summer working at the Santa Fe Opera–not as a singer but that is all another story! Simple indeed, it’s normally 1 part gin to 2 parts tonic water with a lime garnish. I, however, prefer mine with lemon and at home, I am both liberal and lazy and simply add a generous splash of gin over my ice and then fill the glass with tonic water. 

Photo courtesy of Eve Riot taken during our recent adventures at River City Steampunk Expo (Now Bourbon City)