2022 MUSE FELLOWS COCKTAILS!
Signature cocktails based on our all-conference reads in fiction and nonfiction
"In adrienne maree brown’s resonant novel Grievers, a strange illness descends on the city of Detroit, freezing residents in their tracks and suspending them in a zombie-like state of internal grief and sorrow until they slowly succumb to death. A predominantly Black community within a mostly-white state, Detroit soon faces a horrifying and bewildering truth: somehow this disease only affects those of African heritage, resulting in an infuriatingly indifferent response from the powers that be.
"The first to lose a loved one to this strange plague, 'cute boi' Dune, cares for her unafflicted yet likewise comatose grandmother and scours for food in the community gardens her now-deceased mother helped implement. Alone with only memories of her dead parents and unfaithful ex-girlfriend for company, Dune keeps vigil over the dying, creating tiny markers of their loss in the city model her late father built in the basement. But the burden of survival is a heavy one: 'how was she supposed to survive? And how was she supposed to forgive herself for surviving?' "
"The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood, by Krys Malcolm Belc, is a beautifully woven family tapestry exploring the nuances of love and connection between partners, parents, and children, and the body and the self. Offering snapshots of his pregnancy with Samson, the second of three children he and his wife parent, Belc moves back and forth in time to recount definitive experiences like falling in love, transitioning, becoming a parent, losing a parent, births, and cross-country moves—not necessarily in that order.
"Belc’s insights and meditations expose the painful burdens inherent in our society’s stubborn adherence to a false gender binary which parses, rations, and limits the expression and representation of love. Consequently, queer parents are forced to legally adopt their own children and eschew biological donors. Parents who give birth are forever pigeonholed as 'natural mothers,' in turn narrowing the emotional breadth and depth of fatherhood: 'There are things one gains by transitioning and things one loses. There is the new body, the confidence, there is the title Dad, the power granted to men. And there is what one loses: the assumption of connection.'
GRIEVERS Recipe
Cocktail Ingredients
2 oz jasmine green tea, preferably loose leaf, steeped with ¼-½ teaspoon tangerine zest
1.5 oz bourbon, preferably from a Detroit distillery like Detroit City Distillery or Two James Spirits
1 oz fresh tangerine juice, or other sweet citrus
Honey water: 1 Tablespoon honey dissolved in 2 Tablespoons warm water
Garnish: fresh mint
Instructions
First, prepare the jasmine tea, adding the citrus zest to the cup. Allow to steep until completely cool. Meanwhile, juice the citrus and set a rocks glass in the freezer or at the back of the fridge to chill. Once the tea is ready, add it to a shaker with a large cube or chunk of ice along with the bourbon, juice, and honey water. Agitate vigorously until the shaker turns frosty. Strain into the chilled glass and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Mocktail Ingredients
3 oz jasmine green tea, preferably loose leaf, steeped with ¼-½ teaspoon tangerine zest
1 oz Earl Grey tea
1 oz fresh tangerine juice, or other sweet citrus
Honey water: 1 Tablespoon honey dissolved in 2 Tablespoons warm water
Garnish: fresh mint
Instructions
First, prepare the teas, adding the citrus zest to the cup of jasmine. Allow both to steep until completely cool. Meanwhile, juice the citrus and set a rocks glass in the freezer or at the back of the fridge to chill. Once the teas are ready, add them to a shaker with a large cube or chunk of ice, along with the juice and honey water. Agitate vigorously until the shaker turns frosty. Strain into the chilled glass and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
"A smooth, lightly floral drink with citrus notes, this booktail is made with bourbon, for the 'dizzy numbness' Dune feels when she pounds shots of whiskey. The bourbon brings out the jasmine—a reference to the old tin of jasmine tea full of slivers of paper Dune finds in her father’s basement workshop. The tangerine juice and zest reference the headwrap Dune’s mother was wearing when struck down by the mysterious plague. Likewise, community leader Elouise wears a 'golden hued' headwrap when her time comes and keeps oranges on her altar. The citrus also honors Mama Vivian’s extra strong Screwdrivers. Honey water adds a touch of sweetness and a nod to the jar of Michigan honey served at Big Lou and Elouise’s final breakfast. The drink is garnished with mint for Dune’s father and his scent of mint, leather, prayer incense, and sesame, as well as the fresh greens Dune forages for among the community gardens her mother helped found.
"This booktail is presented against a highly textured backdrop, each element chosen to reflect Detroit’s exterior and vibe, both old and new, such as brick, distressed wood, and a mirrored surface that resembles ice and water, for a city on the edge of a river. The drink is served in a gorgeously twisted purple-sheened glass garnished with mint, which pops against the silver and browns of the setting. The mint stands in for Detroit’s greenery, community gardens, and spaces reclaimed by nature."
THE NATURAL MOTHER OF THE CHILD Recipe
Cocktail Ingredients
2 oz rooibos tea
1.5 gin
1 oz amaretto
1 oz heavy cream (vegan non-dairy substitute: 1 oz almond milk and 1 oz aquafaba, aka the juice from a can of chickpeas)
Garnish: slivers of almond and fresh blackberries and/or raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon
Instructions
Steep a cup of rooibos tea until completely cool. The tea should be a reddish color. Add it to a shaker with a large cube or chunk of ice along with the gin, amaretto, and cream or dairy substitutes. Shake till frothy, about one minute. Strain into a coupe or wide martini glass and garnish with berries, plus slivers of almonds arranged in a line atop the foam. For best results, set berries on the lip of the glass, or slice in half to lessen the weight and minimize sinking. Add a dollop of whipped cream and dust with cinnamon filtered through a sieve or mesh strainer.
Mocktail Ingredients
2.5 oz rooibos tea
1 oz heavy cream (vegan non-dairy substitute: 1 oz almond milk and 1 oz aquafaba, aka the juice from a can of chickpeas)
1 oz simple syrup
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Garnish: slivers of almond and fresh blackberries and/or raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon
Instructions
Steep a cup of rooibos tea until completely cool. The tea should be a reddish color. Add it to a shaker with a large cube or chunk of ice along with the simple syrup, cream or dairy substitutes, and almond extract. Shake till frothy, about one minute. Strain into a coupe or wide martini glass and garnish with berries, plus slivers of almonds arranged in a line atop the foam. (Note: the vegan version is delicious but produces minimal foam. However, the almonds will still float.) For best results, set berries on the lip of the glass or slice in half to lessen the weight and minimize sinking. Add a dollop of whipped cream and dust with cinnamon, filtered through a sieve or mesh strainer.
"This booktail is creamy and lightly sweet, with almond notes and a touch of caramel. The natural florals in the gin pair well with the rooibos tea, included for 'someone who doesn’t drink the tea' and Belc’s fraught first trimester, during which he drank rooibos at his desk each morning. Amaretto conjures the layer of almond crunch in the bee sting cake Belc makes for himself after a 20-week ultrasound, plus snow days in Marquette, Michigan, spent eating through the pantry, including little tins of almonds. Cream adds texture and buoyancy, a fitting representative of all the deliciously sweet things in this memoir, from shakes, popsicles, caramel, and cakes, many of which are enjoyed before and after milestone moments, like additional ultrasounds and adoption proceedings. Plus little Samson himself, 'A human Tootsie Pop. Sweet, easy to love.' Garnished with berries—Samson’s favorite snack—the drink is also decorated with slivers of almonds and a dollop of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon for the cinnamon rolls served at the pinnacle of domesticity known as IKEA.
"This booktail is presented against a rainbow backdrop softened with an overlay of light pink, a reference to binary-gendered thinking which permeates the perception of the world, including something as neutral as color. (Pink is also Samson’s favorite color.) The booktail at the center is designed to resemble a delectable pastry, complete with fruit and almond slivers, with three raspberries at its base for each of the children in the family, and two blackberries for their parents, Anna and Krys. The overall effect is cheerful, inviting, and infused with love."