As I’m writing this, Boston is getting hit with a snowstorm, delivering 8-14 inches (hehehe). Both of my roommates are working from home with me, so this drink cocktail post has turned into a full day-drinking party. I couldn’t be happier. Snow. A beautiful, boozy cocktail. Good books. Marie has Swing Time by Zadie Smith. Stephanie has At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson. And me…I’m finishing up Wintersong and oh, boy.
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones has so many elements that the Bitchery is going to love. There’s the obvious Labyrinth element with a mischievous Goblin King, who spirits away the heroine’s sister. Music plays a huge part of the story as well and, at times, has moments reminiscent of The Little Mermaid and Phantom of the Opera. Plus, the heroine, Liesl, is severely under appreciated, making sure her siblings succeed rather than putting her own success first. Talk about Cinderella vibes.
It’s a beautiful book set in Bavaria and it’s darkly romantic. It reminds me a lot of Deathless by Catherynne Valente ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) even more so than The Bear and the Nightingale did.
For the cocktail, I used Echte Kroatzbeere. It’s German blackberry liqueur. If you can’t find it, no worries. I only lucked out because my local store had one left and it was on the discount shelf. But blackberry brandy is a great substitute. I also used cran-peach juice. A peach is the catalyst to Lisel’s sister being taken by the Goblin King, a peach whose juice seems to look eerily like blood. Like I said…darkly romantic.
I’m also calling the drink Crescendo because 1) music is a huge part of Liesl’s life, 2) the drink gets stronger the more you have due to the layering, and 3) the book gets crazier and crazier the more you read, especially once Liesl goes up against the Goblin King .
If you’re even slightly curious about this book, I suggest you give it a chance. When you do, you’ll have a cocktail to go with it.
Shopping list:
Echte Kroatzbeere
Cran-peach juice
Grapefruit
Proportions:
1 1/2 oz of blackberry liqueur
2 oz cran-peach juice
2 oz of grapefruit juice (about half a grapefruit)
Directions:
- In a shake full of ice, put in the blackberry liqueur and shake it up to get it cold.
- Pour the liqueur on the bottom of the glass. It’s the thickest liquid out of the bunch and when “floating” liquids, you have the heaviest at the bottom.
- Rinse out the shaker. I had my juice in the fridge, so there was no need to use the ice. Combine both juices and shake.
- Pour the juices over a spoon, with the bottom face up and the tip touching the glass. You want the liquid to touch the spoon and the side of the glass first before falling to the bottom of the glass. You don’t want the juice to break the surface tension of the liqueur. It’ll give it that nice separation of the light and dark elements of the drink
Modifications and notes:
- As I mentioned before, the Echte Kroatzbeere might be hard to find. So feel free to use a blackberry brandy instead. Leroux makes a decent blackberry brand that I’ve used in a previous cocktail!
- I like the addition of the grapefruit because it counteracts the sweetness of the peach. But I think another citrus juice would work as well.
- I’m curious about using fresh peach juice or peach syrup because it’s thicker in consistency than the juice, so feel free to experiment!
We also have a giveaway! Up for grabs are two (2) copies of Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.
To enter, comment below with your favorite Labyrinth moment! The giveaway will end Sunday, February 11, 2017 at noon, EST, so get your comments in before then!
Standard disclaimers apply. We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18. David Bowie-related codpieces are encouraged! You also must remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. And kudos to anyone in the Bitchery who can rock a patterned vest with a blousy shirt.
Best of luck! Cheers!
UPDATE: Our winners are SeventhWave and Leigh Kramer! Check your email shortly!
I need to rewatch so that I can have a favorite moment!
I’m not eligible for the giveaway but I did want to share that Labyrinth was written by an incredible Canadian poet & children’s author named Dennis Lee. He wrote some of my favourite childhood poetry books – Alligator Pie and Garbage Delight. If you have kids, I really recommend them.
I’m definitely going to check out Wintersong after this post, though. It sounds awesome!
The lines ” I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.” *shivers* 😀
Ugh torn between Magic Dance and any time the baby is obviously a doll being tossed around
So, I’m ashamed to admit-I’ve never seen Labyrinth! That must be remedied at once.
The Bog of Eternal Stench is one of my favorite scenes. But pretty much anything with Ludo.
Oh, come on, you guys. Everyone knows the best part of Labyrinth (and it is all great) is the Bulge.
I’ve actually never seen Labyrinth!
my favorite part is ALL of the songs!
David Bowie. That is all. (But it is everything…)
The Pants. That would be my favorite Labyrinth moment.
The snow globe bubble dance. Love love love that song!
Maybe it’s just the confluence of my age and my kids’ ages, but I didn’t watch Labyrinth until a few years ago. While interesting and engaging, I don’t have any favorite moments. (Sorry! Can I still enter the contest?)
Okay, this thread is going to be what pushes me to finally watch Labyrinth, I can tell. 🙂
Also, in the interests of making EVERYTHING connected, look what I found right after reading this review!
Labyrinth knitting pattern on Tumblr. Want.
Labyrinth (and David Bowie) was pretty much my sexual awakening in high school. I have to echo some of the other comments and say that the Escher stairs scene is my favorite, but also…I LOVE Magic Dance.
I’m not sure if I can post gif’s here so I’ll refrain, but I really wanted to post one of Jareth tapping a riding crop against his foot…
I only saw it once; unfortunately, I don’t remember most of it.