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The Novel Infraction Has Its Own Cocktail!

Writer and book lover Lindsay Merbaum is also a bartender--who likes to create cocktails inspired by books. Here's what she says about the Infraction Cocktail she created, followed by the recipe:

"To complement the rye you chose for this drink, I did indeed opt to add in some tea. I chose Lapsang Souchong for its delightful smokey flavor, but also because it was the most popular tea used in the traditional Russian Caravan blend, so named for the caravans in which it traveled from China to Russia. I added Drambuie for its honey tones, a reference to the honey served at Christmas as a symbol of happiness and peace. Lavender syrup adds some beautiful floral notes and is also a nod to the soap Marya smells on Vera's skin the first time they touch and kiss.

In presenting this booktail, I used a classic Russian tea glass surrounded by sumptuous black velvet, lavender, and dried peony petals. The glass is garnished with a large Vosges chocolate decorated with edible gold leaf and filled with hazelnut, Reishi mushroom, (for all the mushrooms consumed in this book!) dulce de leche, and dark chocolate. The combined effect is the perfect tea for a society lady, or for lady lovers.

INFRACTION

Ingredients

2 oz rye

1 oz Lapsang Souchong tea

.5 oz Drambuie

.5 oz lavender syrup (see recipe)

Instructions

First, prepare the syrup. Once cool, add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well-chilled, then strain into a chilled glass.

LAVENDER SYRUP

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

ΒΌ cup dried organic lavender

Instructions

Stir all ingredients together in a small pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered. Set aside to cool, then strain into a clean glass or jar. Keep refrigerated. 



Newest Publications

Infraction

Now available for order from Rattling Good Yarns Press.

"Infraction re-creates 19th-century Russia and what it was like to be a woman who loved women in that time and place. Marya, Yvonne Zipter's brilliant and feisty young heroine, lives through the excitement of revolutionary new ideas about women's rights, the delirium of passionate same-sex love, and the anguish caused by a society's refusal to acknowledge and honor women's relationships. Through Zipter's vivid and compelling writing, we walk every step of the way with Marya."
- Lillian Faderman






Kissing the Long Face of the Greyhound 

(Terrapin Books) is available for purchase at Women and Children First Bookstore or your own favorite independent bookseller. (Also available at Amazon.)


"Oh, how I resent the constrictions of blurbese in speaking of such a collection, given its abundantly laudable qualities. One is that rarest of features in our time, what the Augustans called Wit (see, e.g., "The Pencils Speak of Impermanence"). There is also Zipter's matchless eye for physical detail, ranging from the natural world to conjugal and even canine love. Supreme, however, is the poet's way with pathos: read, say, the paean to her grandfather Elmer and stay dry-eyed- I dare you! Early in the book, the poet complains, 'I wish I'd been around when the world was new/ and everything needed names,' and yet her own naming makes everything new again."

-Sydney Lea

Other Recently Published Work

  • The poem "Dash" was published by Gyroscope Review in Winter 2022 (p. 38).
  • The poem "The Day" was published by Autumn Sky Poetry Daily in January 2022.
  • The poems "A Brief History of the War on Women" and "The Romance of It" were published by Limp Wrist Magazine by February 2022.
  • The poem "This Is Not My Story" was published by Autumn Sky Poetry Daily in April 2021. 

    Other News

    > Because of the research I did for my book Diamonds Are a Dyke's Best Friend, I was asked to provide commentary for the film A Secret Love about the long-term relationship between All-American Girl Professional League ballplayer Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel. It's an incredibly moving story and I am honored to have played a small role in the telling of it.

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