Recipe: The Voodoo Queen

The Voodoo Queen

Circa: 1700's

         In honor of our witchy theme for our Halloween table I am bringing you not one but two cocktails! As discussed in a previous post I found inspiration for this year' theme from one of my all-time favorite movies, Practical Magic, and my new love, American Horror Story: Coven.  Since I was inspired by two different bewitching shows I thought it only appropriate to craft two different cocktails!   

         
         Today’s cocktail, the Voodoo Queen, is inspired by Coven and the mysterious magic, voodoo and hoodoo found in New Orleans. I think this cocktail would fit in quite well in the Crescent City, but do have to admit that my initial attempts ended with mixed results.  However, with a little magic, I finally found the right concoction of fruit, rum, and sage and the Voodoo Queen was born. What I love about this cocktail is the Sage Simple Syrup. Sage is such a wonderful herb and I love to use it in baking, especially for my brown butter sage cornbread muffins! It just tastes like fall.

            In addition to being delicious, sage also has its own magical properties. For thousands of years sage has been used for blessing, cleansing and purification and is often burned during religious and personal ceremonies. The Greeks and Romans believed hat it imparted wisdom and mental acuity. Others believed that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least a long and healthy life. It is also said to aid in reversing spells and protect against the evil eye. While I can't attest to its magical qualities, I can tell you it makes a declicious cocktail!

          Part of the spirt for the Voodoo Queen comes from the fact that in New Orleans you can’t go too far without coming across a reference to Voodoo. Voodoo is a religion that originated in Africa and Haiti during the French Colonial period and arrived in America a little over 250 years ago. All in all, it is an interesting combination of various African, Catholic and Native American religious traditions.  And as some of you may know, the unchallenged queen of Voodoo is none other than New Orleans’s own Marie Laveau.

Marie was born in and lived in New Orleans in early 19th Century. She was skillful in the practice of medicine and was acquainted with the valuable healing quality of indigenous herbs, which made her quite a successful nurse during frequent yellow fever and cholera epidemics. Her skill and knowledge earned her the friendship of many, although others attributed her success to unnatural means and became fearful. Those that believed in her powers turned to Marie for assistance in their love lives or careers for her gris-gris and magical connections.  Although she is sometimes referred to as mysterious or even dark, her obituary, dated June 18, 1881, shows that “she was a wonderful woman…always had the cause of the people at heart and was with them in all things.” To this day it is believed that you can still request favors from Marie by leaving money, cigars, rum and candy as offerings at her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

          While we may never know whether Marie is to be revered or feared, her work her power and legend will continue to live on in New Orleans for ages to come. With her blend of natural magic and sweetness, I believe that Marie would have approved of our own sweet potion and I hope you enjoy it as well. Cheers!