Fiona and Laveau toast victory with a French 75

I’m totally hooked on this seasons American Horror. Coven, the shows third installment follows the lives of the inhabitants of New Orleans-based Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, a school that helps bitchy teen witches grow into their potential. The Supreme witch Fiona, along with real life inspired historical monsters voodoo queen Marie LaVeau and the heinous Delphine LaLaurie are woven into the story filled with campy horror, comedy and kitschy characters. Being it’s set in America’s most cocktail centric city there was bound to be some tippling going on. The season was filled with scenes and references to classic cocktails. I imagine with all the conjuring, burnings at the stake and general scheming a little libation was called for to take the edge off.

Because you must be thirsty after being buried alive for a couple hundred years.

In the first episode after Fiona digs up Delphine she offers to buy her a drink, because the first thing you need after being buried alive for a century is a cocktail not a shower. Later the young charges down shots of Absinthe to ‘Witch up’ before summoning an evil present with a spirit board.

In episode 12 there’s a whole lotta drinking going on. Fiona’s beau the Axeman mixes her a mean filthy Martini and dreams of retiring to the country where he’ll spend his evenings sipping Gin Rickeys. That is of course after he finishes killing everyone on his list, including a hive of witchhunters disguised as corporate America. Back at the school after wiping out the enemy Marie complements Delphine by proclaiming ‘You may be rotten to the core but you sure make one hell of a French 75!’ Too bad it also contained a secret ingredient and a brick to the head garnish.

In anticipation of next weeks finale I crafted a ‘Supreme cocktail’ to watch the witches compete in The Seven Wonders, a trail of magical feats that will determine the next leader of the coven. For those also sending off the witches in style why not mix up a batch of this magical elixir and toast to the new Supreme.

Ingredients-

1.5 ounces Redemption Rye

1 oz Lillet Blanc

tart fresh juice of half medium lemon

1/2 oz. Red Zinger Celestial Seasoning syrup- steep 2 teabags of red zinger tea with 1/2 cup each sugar, water. Heat till sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let cool. Drain teabags and reserve syrup.

1/2 dropper full Bittermens Orange Cream Citrate

Combine all in shaker over ice, shake till will chilled and strain into up glass with orange peel garnish. ENJOY!

You'll need some snacks to keep up your strength after a few cocktails. Take a few tips from AHS Coven's favorite hot pocket, burned at the stake fashion maven Myrtle Snow.

While the rest of the cast threw back a few Myrtle Snow, a member of the witches counsel, held up her end providing amazing style and culinary references. A vision in cat glasses with over the top vintage costuming, she mused on the hardship of the Salem witches having to flee South without a proper charcuterie platter, delighted in Delphine’s Mulligatawny soup and suggested Cordelia, the house potion expert, give it all up to make a line of herbal salad dressings.

Make Myrtle proud with a tasteful, elegant platter crafted on this beauty I found online. It may even predict the perfect pairing!

Ouija cheeseboard

Filed under: cocktail recipes, Cocktails and Spirits, wine and food culture