Today I am very pleased to welcome Claudia H. Long to my blog. Claudia's work, The Harlot's Pen, is set in a time period I really adore: the roaring 20's! For fun, I thought we would check in with Claudia about her characters and get to know them a bit better by their alcohol of choice! Let's talk Characters and Cocktails with the characters of The Harlot's Pen!
Characters and Cocktails
with Claudia H. Long
Prohibition! It's 1920 and the 18th
Amendment has just been passed, making sales of the good stuff illegal. But
this doesn’t stop the discerning patron from ordering a glass of whiskey, or
the smoky-eyed flapper from sipping a Side Car.
Violetta is wearing the latest mode. It's a daring
knee-length, drop-waisted, pleated ecru silk number, with silver trim at the
square neck and hem. It's sleeveless and in the warm El Verano evening she'll
be enjoying the breeze, tinged with cigar smoke, that comes in from the open
back door. She's probably sipping a French 75, that fizzy concoction of gin,
lemon juice, simple syrup and champagne. Ooh la la!
Seated next to her, dealing a hand of poker, is
handsome Caleb Houston, swirling a South Side. Gin, mint, lime and a little
simple syrup make up a powerful drink, but he's an engineer on the newest
bridge in Sonoma, and he's not afraid of a strong drink!
But across from Violetta, passion simmering in his
dark brown eyes, Gold lifts his Side Car to his lips. This heady brew is a blend of cognac,
cointreau and a little lemon juice. Gold has seen the world in all its anger
and beauty, and knows a good cognac when he tastes it.
El Verano is pulsing
with jazz, smoke and tarts. Though Spanish Kitty, the beautiful madam of the house sticks to a glass of
the finest whiskey from the storehouses of her wealthy and powerful patrons,
the girls like something a little sweeter, and Lily can be found sipping a Bees
Knees in between dances. Her blonde hair and cherub-blue eyes sparkle as she
looks at the gents over her glass.
Bees Knees
2 oz Gin
¾ oz honey simple syrup (1 part honey to 1 part
water)
½ oz. lemon juice
Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, enjoy!
Side Car
¾ oz Cointreau (or Triple Sec)
½ oz Cognac
¾ oz lemon juice
Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass!
Stolat!
About the Author:
Claudia Long is the author of Josefina's Sin, The Harlot's Pen, and The Duel for Consuelo. The Harlot's Pen is her most recent release. She loved writing Josefina's Sin because it gave her a chance to explore her favorite time period of Mexican history. The story takes place in the 1690s, when Mexico was still a Spanish colony overseen by a Viceroy, with Marquis and Counts. It was a very, very different time from today. Women's lives were run by rules that we would find outrageous, but their friendships and loves were much like ours! The Duel for Consuelo (coming from Booktrope in June, 2014) picks up 21 years after Josefina's Sin. The son Josefina bore at the end of the book is now 21 years old. Consuelo, the beautiful healer with secrets to conceal, captures his love. But he has a few secrets of his own, and the Inquisition, in a final grasp for power, blocks his way to Consuelo's heart.Connect with the Author
Great to be here! I've enjoyed many a Steampunk Cocktail! Cheers and thanks, Melanie! Claudia
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Claudia!
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