Smoking Bishop
Smoking Bishop is a warm, spiced wine similar to the mulled wine known in English cuisine. This variant of the bishop was particularly popular in the Victorian era . The Smoking Bishop is mentioned in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens .
The preparation of the Smoking Bishop is a specialty . Essential ingredients are port wine , a few spices such as cloves , star anise , sugar, sometimes cinnamon and especially bitter oranges , which are available in winter, between December and February. This makes the Smoking Bishop a classic drink during the Christmas season. The taste is authentic when the bitter orange is roasted "on the fire". This happened in the 19th century on the kitchen stoves, where the coal was separated by a grid. Today you can roast the bitter oranges on a grill rack or in the oven. If the port wine is replaced by other drinks, there are other drinks that are classified as "clerical drinks":
- with Clairet Smoking Archbishop
- with ginger wine and raisins Smoking Beadle
- with champagne or Rhine wine Smoking Cardinal
- with burgundy tuxedo pope
The Smoking Bishop owes its name to the drinking bowls in which it was served at guild meetings or at university banquets, which resembled a bishop's hat.
The Smoking Bishop went down in history through the Christmas story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, in which in the last chapter Ebenezer Scrooge promised his employee Bob Cratchit a raise and help for the family with the following words:
"A Merry Christmas, Bob!" said Scrooge with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I'll raise your salary, and endeavor to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon over a bowl of smoking bishop, Bob! "
"Merry Christmas, Bob!" Said Scrooge with an earnestness that could not be misunderstood as he patted him on the back. “A happier Christmas, Bob my good fellow, than I have given you in many years! I'll raise your salary and endeavor to support your ailing family, and we'll talk about your business over a bowl of Smoking Bishop this afternoon , Bob! "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mad Dog: Smoking Bishop. In: britishfoodhistory.com. 2018, accessed on December 17, 2019 .
- ↑ citoidWikitext * NO TITLE PROVIDED. In: toriavey.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019 .
- ↑ Christmas Drinks - Smoking Bishop. In: penhaligons.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019 .