The Queen of Clubs

Today is the Birthday of a young woman named Louise. Louise, when said, rolls symphonicly of the tongue, and whose name means "Famous in war". So when thinking of a drink name, I wanted to grab every quality of Louise and then add the definitions which will enhance the drink. When you hear about a woman who is "Famous in war" - you immediately think of a Heroine - or - other great women of courage and virtue. These would be women such as St. Joan of Arc, Queen Isabella, Eowyn in Lord of the Rings, Jane Eyre, and Irene Sendler (just to name a few). So this elixir of life must have a name that has some sort of regal quality that matches the person it is named after. Therefore I chose the name "Queen of Clubs" otherwise I would have gone with just "Lady Louise". But the Queen of Clubs is regal and yet has a strong will attached to it, especially with weapons in which a heroine can defend herself with. But also the Queen of Clubs has a background that I believe mirrors the life of theWoman in whom this drink is being named after. Let me explain:

Within mysticism, the Queen of Clubs is known as "The Mother of Intuition Card", and takes qualities from both the Queen and Clubs. Queens are considered to have a subservient nature (however, the Queen of Spades "don't know the meaning of subservience let alone play the part", and male Queen of Spades can also have a temper). This, coupled with the mental nature of clubs associates this card with "publishing trade, secretarial work, or...psychic work". As Queens, they are aware of their place in society

(the "royal court"), and resist change in character. As the Three of Hearts is its displaced card, The Queen of Clubs represents "indecision about love and friendship" and means its is hard for them to find success in these areas. The card is also known as the "Mother Mary" as many of have children who they are forced to make sacrifices for, ("just as the Virgin Mary had to undergo the sacrifice of her son Jesus"). The Queen of Clubs "often has two jobs and does best where there is some creative expression and freedom of movement". While they are very organised, they live life at a frantic pace which can often leave them stressed out. They often have a quest for knowledge, and are "impatient and intolerant of ignorance or mental laziness in others". Queen of Spades also have one of the strongest intuitions of any of the cards.

 Now on to the Characteristics of Louise which the Drink is to reflect. She has a noble quality about her. She is enchanting, well versed in literature, very smart, coordinated par excellance in fashion and in spirit. Her voice turns the heads of men and makes women raise that one eye=brow effect. Her voice has this smokey effect that puts the finishing touches on a jazz quartet or a big-band orchestra. She fights gallantly for her faith, and at times can spin a hint of persuasion while captivating her audience - at the same time. So this classy woman, who walks and acts like

Lady, needs qualities in a drink that is explosively elegant, subtle in boldness, dressed for a night on the town and a clean bite. 

So I came up with a rendition of a Classy drink known as the Sidecar, but the differences is, we are going to add the seductive and powerful nature of the Blood Orange. The Sidecar was invented sometime around the end of World War I and is claimed to have been first introduce at the The "Ritz" in Paris, France. The token notes that harmonize into this cocktail are Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. So we are going to makeover this drink and dress it up for the night, making it elegant, bold and classy.

In this unique "Queen of Clubs" drink, we are going to use  - the nobility of the Cognac. Instead of Cointreau, we are going to use the exotic "Solerno" blood orange liqueur. "Solerno is created from bittersweet bittersweet sanguinello blood oranges hand-picked at the height of their season. This potent liqueur is blended from three small-batch  distillates: one made from the meat of the oranges, one from the skins and one from local Sicilian lemons. The result is a complex, zesty, flavorful liqueur. This luscious citrus blending, with a tang and acidity from the skins of the citrus provide a delicate balance and interplay that yields a drying acidic backbone that gradually plays out across the midline and back of the tongue like a drying sunrise evaporating dew. Aromatically and gustatorially intoxicating, a wonderful achievement in terms of taste, balance and usefulness as a cocktail ingredient.  Basically it's perfect! Add some of the Blood Orange Juice and you have yourself a "Queen of Clubs".

So how is this fighting Queen made?
1 1/2 part fresh Blood Orange Juice
1 part Solerno
1 part Cognac


Combine the Ingredients together with ice in a shaker and shake it like the world is coming to an end. If your feeling on the sweet side that night, strain it into a Martini glass rimmed in sugar. If your feeling bold and daring, pour it in a classic champagne glass. You may add a Blood Orange for double-take effect (because the flesh of the Blood Orange looks as if it were grown in a Vampire grove) but straight up gives it a dashing effect as well. 

Feel free to pick and choose or even add to the ingredients, your taste is your spell.

Muddled Quotes:
 "Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable." - G.K. Chesterton