The carol for today's cocktail is The Seven Joys of Mary. Ever since Mary has been venerated in the church, the significant events in her life are portrayed in art, literature or devotional material as collections: Seven Joys, Seven Sorrows, Five Joyful Mysteries, etc. Mary was a very busy lady. This song, celebrating seven joyful events in her life, is one of many "counting songs" that have found the way into our Christmas traditions - the most famous being the Twelve Days of Christmas.
One thing about Mary, even when it's supposed to be her "Seven Joys", it isn't. Because one of her joys is seeing her son crucified. Sure .. you could argue that if you look at the OUTCOME of that (from a theological perspective) it should be a joy. But c'mon, we're pretty sure she wasn't hanging out at Golgotha dancing a jig. She probably still needed a drink. And a stiff one at that.
So we created a good, strong "sipping" drink for Mary. Something to drink while you're PONDERING YOUR LIFE .. joys, sorrows, or what have you.
Seven Joys of Mary Cocktail
2 oz bourbon (we used Maker's Mark)
1 oz Gifford's Crème de Myrtilles (blueberry liqueur)
1/2 oz Art in the Age's Snap liqueur
3 drops Bittered Sling Elderberry bitters
Rocks glass
Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
Cocktail Notes
This was originally going to be a variant of a Last Word (equal parts gin, lime, green Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur). We considered kumquat and yuzu juice substitutions. Even golden berry juice. None of them worked for us. Also, Drew felt we were relying on the Chartreuse a little too much this holiday season. So we went in a completely different direction. No more juice - just a smart, sophisticated drink for a smart, sophisticated lady.
We started with bourbon as the base since it is a classic sipping liquor. The blueberry liqueur added a slight sweetness (without relying on a simple syrup) and a dash of symbolism since Mary is generally portrayed in blue. The Snap adds the perfect finish, a touch of spiciness and warmth as well as a throwback to the region where Mary grew up.
In addition to testing Bittered Sling Elderberry bitters, we tried three others:
- Apothecary Bitters Eldergrowth: Makes it sweeter
- Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters: Has potential. Loses some of the berry taste.
- Fee Brothers Whiskey Bitters: Flattens out the cocktail
Listen Along
I love Great Big Sea's version of this. So kicky! There is a bit of an intro at the beginning; the singing starts around 50 seconds in.
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