Cyril and Methodius

two original cocktails for the Enlighteners of the Slavs.

I ran out of time to do a longer article today, but I didn’t want to let it pass without giving you two recipes I wrote last week for this feast. Cyril, Apostle to the Slavs, is my husband’s patron saint, and it’s hard to overstate his contribution to and impact on world Orthodoxy, on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet alone.

Here’s a pair of ever so slightly different riffs on a Water Lily, one of my favorite underrated cocktails. The one for Cyril, the Bohemia, is floral, notes of honey, almost lush—not a challenging drink, but an enjoyable one. The one for Methodius, the Moravia, is more complex, herbal, a touch bitter, symbolizing his trials and suffering at the hands of the Franks.

Tonight, read the life of these great brothers of the Church, and enjoy.

The Bohemia

• 1 oz gin

• .75 oz St. Germain

• .5 oz yellow chartreuse

• .75 oz fresh lemon juice

Chill a coupe with ice water or in the freezer. Combine gin, St. Germain, yellow chartreuse, and lemon juice in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake hard 40 times or 15 seconds. Strain into your chilled coupe. Express a lemon twist over the top.

The Moravia

• 1 oz gin

• .75 oz St. Germain

• .5 oz green chartreuse

• .75 oz fresh lemon juice

Chill a coupe with ice water or in the freezer. Combine gin, St. Germain, green chartreuse, and lemon juice in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake hard 40 times or 15 seconds. Strain into your chilled coupe. Lemon twist optional.

SS. Cyril and Methodius, Pray to God for us!