rye whiskey

The Epiphany Espresso Martini

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Recipe

  • 1.5 oz Rye Whiskey
  • 1 oz Espresso or Cold Brew Concentrate
  • .5 oz Molasses
  • .25 oz Dry or Blanc Vermouth
  • 2 dashes Chocolate Bitters
  • barspoon Fernet Branca
  • Lemon Peel for expression and garnish

Add all ingredients except lemon peel to shaker and shake until well chilled. Double strain into a coupe. Express Lemon Peel oil over top and garnish with the peel cut into a cross.

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The Western Church is currently in the last days of the Church season of Epiphany, which is kind of a beautiful junk drawer of a season.

Advent/Christmas cover Jesus’ anticipation and birth, and Lent/Easter cover his death and resurrection. Epiphany covers everything in between. It starts with the Wise Men visiting Jesus (they weren’t at the manger!) and covers his ministry of justice. The key motif is light breaking through the darkness, waking us from our stupor, and preparing us for the repentance of Lent.

So if we want a cocktail that’s going to wake us up and mess us up, there’s none better than this espresso martini riff.

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“Semper Reformanda” | A Reformation Day Cocktail

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Recipe

  • 1.5 oz Rye Whiskey
  • 1 oz Grenadine
  • .5 oz All Spice Dram
  • .25 Lemon Juice
  • 2 dashes Orange Bitters
  • top with 4 oz of Oktoberfest

Add all ingredients (except the beer) to a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a collins glass. Top with the Oktoberfest beer.

* * * *

For Protestant Christians, it is Reformation Day, celebrating when Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation by posting his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. The cocktail’s name comes from one of the mottoes of this movement: ecclesia reformata semper reformanda (“the church reformed is always reforming”).

Is this a “holy day” in the proper sense of the word? No. And I know many would see this as a day to mourn, not celebrate. But even someone as ecumenical as myself who loves Catholics can enjoy this day in a good-natured, light-hearted way. And for that, we deserve a drink!

This is my first beer cocktail, and it is really good. It’s a tweaked version of the “Lumberjack in Love” by the always-fantastic Anders Erikson. Like the Reformation itself, this drink is bitter and sweet. Rye embodies Luther’s own spice and bite. The All Spice captures the Reformation truth that all of God’s people are priests and saints in his kingdom. And lastly, of course, we top it all off with that most German of autumnal beers: the Oktoberfest. Prost!

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“O Adonai” | Burning Bush O’Fashioned

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For each of the ancient “O Antiphon” prayers in this week preceding Christmas, I will be offering prayers and a variation on an Old Fashioned.

Today’s O Antiphon is “O Adonai”.

This antiphon points back to God revealing his name to Moses at the burning bush.The Israelites thought that name (YHWH) was too holy to say out loud, so they would substitute the word “Adonai”, which is often translated as LORD in English Bibles. On this day, we reflect on God in Jesus as our Lord, ruler, and judge, longing for him to come and sets us free from the things that bind us.

Today’s Prayer & Scripture

O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come, stretch out your mighty hand and set us free.

The text today is Isaiah 33:22: “For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our ruler; the Lord is our king; he will save us.” For further reflection, read Exodus 3, the story of God revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush. It is such a rich and mysterious text, ripe for meditation.

As we continue towards Christmas, remember that God has revealed both himself and what way of living leads to life. Let that remind us how we fall short of that in so many ways and how we need God to come and satisfy his own judgment lest we lose him altogether. End your day with prayer and a drink.

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