Characters and Cocktails; The Harlot's Pen by Claudia H. Long

http://www.amazon.com/The-Harlots-Pen-Claudia-Long/dp/1771118687/



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.
As for Claudia, she spends time in California, practicing law and writing books. She enjoys having time to explore the incredible impact that art, poetry, law and of course, the heart, had on women of a long-ago time.


Connect with the Author

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20767321-the-harlot-s-pen

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2 comments

  1. Great to be here! I've enjoyed many a Steampunk Cocktail! Cheers and thanks, Melanie! Claudia

    ReplyDelete