Monday, April 12, 2021

A Titanic Cocktail +Giveaway by Maya Corrigan

 

The Titanic had its first full day at sea 109 years ago today, April 12, 1912. Two days later, it encountered an iceberg. Today I'm toasting the Titanic's heroes and victims and sharing a drink recipe inspired by the final dinner served on that ship. In my 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery, S’more Murders, my sleuth Val caters a re-creation of that dinner aboard a yacht...with fatal consequences. 

For the 110th anniversary of the disaster next year, a replica of the Titanic, currently being built, is slated for a memorial cruise, taking the same route as the original ship, but presumably not sinking. 

Would you go on a cruise commemorating that fateful crossing? Scroll down and comment for a chance to win a copy of S'more Murders

To write a book revolving around the final meal served on the Titanic, I researched what the passengers ate and drank on that ship. An original menu exists for the last meal the first class passengers ate. You can find that menu and a recipe that I shared for a dish on it in a previous blog post: Chicken Lyonnaise

One of the courses in that dinner was a palette cleanser, Punch Romaine, similar to a frozen champagne cocktail or an alcoholic granita. When S’more Murders came out, I was on Deborah Lacy’s Drinks with Reads blog, in which writers share a photo of a new book with a drink related to the book. Deborah recommends having a bartender prepare the drink for a better photo. I found a Punch Romaine recipe shortly before I was scheduled for a cruise to Bermuda. What better place to photograph and taste a Titanic specialty than on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean?
 
When I asked Mike, the mixologist on the Holland America Veendam, to make a cocktail served on the Titanic, he looked startled. Apparently, no one else had ever made such a request. Then he began humming the theme song of the blockbuster Titanic movie and continued to hum as he concocted the cocktail. The recipe that I gave him and am sharing here is adapted from one that appeared in Saveur a hundred years after the Titanic hit an iceberg.

PUNCH ROMAINE COCKTAIL
This recipe makes one large cocktail. It’s easy to multiply the ingredients to serve a crowd.

Ingredients

1 oz. white wine
1/2 oz. simple syrup (sugar water)
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. white rum (optional)
2 oz. Champagne or sparkling wine
Twist of orange peel, for garnish

Notice the wine labels 

To make simple syrup: In a large saucepan, heat equal parts sugar and water (2 tablespoons of each will more than suffice for this recipe). Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for a minute or until the syrup is clear. Remove it from the heat and cool it.

To mix the drink: Combine the white wine, simple syrup, juices, and rum in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake the mixture and pour it over a mound of crushed ice in a coupe cocktail glass. Add the champagne and a twist of orange peel. 

I don't have photos of my making this cocktail at home. For the last year or so, I haven't gathered enough people at my house to justify opening a bottle of champagne. Also there hasn't been much to celebrate. The photo below shows Mike putting the final touches on the Titanic cocktail while we had smooth seas on the way to Bermuda. 




The book, the drink, and me




Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.

Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter. One subscriber wins a book each time a newsletter goes out. Check out the easy recipes, mystery history and trivia, and a free culinary mystery story on the website.




S'more Murders

When Val caters a Titanic memorial dinner on a yacht in the Chesapeake Bay, long submerged grievances lead to murder.

Titanic-obsessed yacht owner hires Val to re-create the final meal served on that doomed ship. On the anniversary of its sinking, the yachtsman welcomes his guests aboard and assigns them roles in a murder mystery game, "Death on the Titanic." Val soon reaches the chilling conclusion that the host is fishing for the culprit in a real crime. When someone goes overboard, Val has to reel in a killer before s’more murders go down. 


Would you go on a cruise that celebrates the Titanic's fateful crossing?
Comment for a chance to win a copy of S'more Murders (U.S. address) or cozy mystery swag including Titanic wine labels (outside the US).

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!





44 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Yes, I'd love to take a Titanic themed cruise. Thanks for the chance! JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  3. While I've never been on a cruise, I think going on one to commemorate the Titanic would be tons of fun.

    The recipe for PUNCH ROMAINE COCKTAIL sounds good. Not much of a drinker, I would love to be in a situation where I could try it.

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy of "S'more Murders"! On my TBR list and I can't wait for the opportunity to read it. Shared and hoping to be the extremely fortunate one selected.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Thank you for commenting and sharing the post, Kay!

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  4. I would take the cruise. I would hope it is identical to the original but with modern navigational instruments to avoid a repeat of the crash and sinking. 3labsmom(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. I would love to take this cruise. What an unforgettable experience. Thanks for your great post and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. I would love to take this cruise as long as I could be on the glamorous deck with the rich people. If I remember right, being down below was not very nice. Thanks for the contest. This book series sounds wonderful! ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Riley. The deck definitely made a difference on the Titanic, but the passengers in steerage ate better than they did on other ships of that period, which required them to take their own food with them. At least on the Titanic, the food was free with the passage, and not bad at all, though not as fancy as what the first-class passengers ate.

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  7. Taking a cruise is definitely on my bucket list. And a cruise with a theme, like commemorating the Titanic would certainly be fun. I'd just hope it wouldn't end with an iceberg!
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  8. This cruise interests me greatly. It sounds amazing. I would go for sure. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  9. welcome today. thanks for sharing the recipes. this sounds like it would be a fascinating piece of history that would be enjoyed. I think I would love to go. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  10. While I love learning about the Titanic, I am not sure that I would go on a cruise that celebrates the Titanic's fateful crossing.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  11. I like cruises, but "celebrating" the Titanic crossing doesn't quite sit right.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  12. I am not a cruise person but that sounds like a very interesting idea.
    lindalou64(@)live(dot)com

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  13. No, I don't really like cruises.
    Denise
    dlc1228@gmail.com

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. I can understand the reluctance to memorialize a disastrous cruise, and cruises are not everyone's cup of tea. Thanks for commenting, Mancy, wskwared, Linda, and Denise. ~Maya

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  16. Nope would never go. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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  17. I've always been fascinated by the Titanic, and every time I watch a movie or documentary on it, I keep hoping it will turn out differently - crazy, I know! I definitely would go on that cruise ~

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    1. I understand that wish, Celia. I avoided watching the blockbuster Titanic movie because I knew the ending was sad. Finally, I saw it almost 20 years after it came out, only because I was writing a mystery related to the ship.

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  18. I would go on the cruise. My birthday is April 15, so would raise a glass in toast to those who lost their lives that day. lhallson(at)shaw(dot)ca

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  19. Titanic cruise sounds like fun. Thanks for the chance!
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  20. This sounds like a drink that will go down really easily!
    I'm not fond of cruises. I'd rather read about them than go on one.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. Very wise. Reading about them doesn't make you seasick!

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  21. Yes to trying that delicious-sounding cocktail and your latest book, but a resounding NOPE to the cruise! Not only am I superstitious, but cruises mean lots of people stuck together at sea! I'd rather read about it. ;) lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

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  22. I'm kind of iffy on that cruise. I'm definitely done with Caribbean cruises. European river cruises do appeal. A cross-Atlantic cruise might be interesting but I think I need a lot of cocktails to commit to that!
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    1. :-) I've crossed the Atlantic on a ship. Never again. I was seasick half of the time. It was a fairly small ship and wouldn't qualify as a cruise, but I wouldn't even consider crossing the ocean again, even on an elegant ship.

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  23. I wouldn't take a Titanic cruise. I wouldn't be able to forget what happened on the original cruise.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. No, I would not.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  25. I'm not a cruise fan but I do enjoy reading Titanic related books!! Egoehner(at)roadrunner(dot)com.

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  26. Yes, I love to go on cruises! tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com

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  27. I would absolutely love to go on the Titanic cruise! Thanks for the chance!!! Yummy recipe!

    jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  28. Would love to go on the Titanic cruise! Even more, would love a copy of your book & Murder mystery. We are having a family reunion( 35 people- 3 generations) at the Adirondack Lodge belonging to an ancestor who survived the Titanic sinking. She lost her husband on that fateful trip, but survived & stayed at his parents lodge, where we are staying. It would awesome to stage a Titanic Murder mystery there & relive history. Please send information.

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    1. Hi Melon, You can download the Titanic Mystery party game that I tried before inventing the fictitious game in my book. Copy and paste this link:
      http://www.printablemysterygames.com/?page_id=30
      You'll need to give your e-mail if you want to win the book. I'll also try to message you with the link.
      ~Maya

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  29. I wouldn't but only because I have an inner ear disorder that causes severe vertigo. lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  30. I don't believe that I would. My preference is to remain on land.
    Thanks for sharing the recipe for the cocktail, it looks delightful and I can't wait to give it a try.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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  31. The thought of such an amazing cruise is enticing, but I'm either not very brave or too superstitious. I visited a Titanic exhibit in St. Petersburg, FL decades ago - and part of it was a strikingly realistic experience of standing on the deck and looking out over the dark, empty ocean with no help in sight. It truly brought home what that experience must have been like. I'd rather go on a 5-ingredient cruise with cooking demos and classes for all the recipes from the books !

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    1. :-) I like your idea, Theda. I wonder if a cruise line would go for it! Please leave your e-mail address--so I can contact you if you win the raffle.

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  32. If the ship came with that beautiful staircase and I could be in a first class cabin, I'd love to take a Titanic cruise. I have the "Last Dinner on the Titanic" and have fun hosting Titanic nights complete with costumes.
    I like Theda's idea of a 5 Ingredient cruise, too.
    macsterday(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I have that book too. It gave me a lot of ideas for a Titanic dinner party. My guests also dressed as Titanic passengers. We had a ball playing roles in a Titanic mystery game. You can download a copy if you're interested in spicing up your next Titanic party with a murder and sleuthing: http://www.printablemysterygames.com/?page_id=30
      Thanks for commenting. ~Maya

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  33. CONGRATULATIONS TO EMILY G, winner of a copy of S'more Murders. Thank you to everyone to shared their thoughts about a Titanic commemorative cruise.

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