A Jane Austen Drinking Game

Okay so watch a Jane Austen film adaptation and every time the hero asks if the heroine's family is well, do a shot! (I often wonder if this is the Regency equivalent of Joey from Friends "How you doin'? It seems like a Regency pick up line to me!) No, not really. I speak of another type of drinking game entirely.

As I am playing Austen I like to get the experience. So when I read that people back then drank port, sherry, and brandy I decided to take a trip to my local liquor store and buy a bottle of each to try it out. The man behind the counter quite laughed at my quest, but was helpful in directing me to what I should purchase. I purchased Hennessy cognac. He advised me to buy the flask. I was glad he did. While I imagine some people who read this will like brandy I believe it is best served in a Brandy Alexander. That is with ice cream and a lot of chocolate. I did not like it at all. So apparently I have a flask of brandy for anyone who is interested.

Next I went on to sherry. I bought Harvey's Bristol Cream and while I was told this was sweeter than normal sherry and not what would have been served in Regency England, I was informed that it was the most drinkable. I actually liked the sherry. I am interested to see what a drier form would taste like. I should mention I live in PA so my liquor purchases are limited because we do not have the variety of some other free flowing states so to speak.

Finally I bought port. There were several bottles available. A lot of gallon jugs, but I went for Cockburn's and I bought the more expensive of the two bottles. The liquor store man did tell me to only drink a little as it was concentrated. I love port. I know that women are not suppose to drink port. That it is a man's drink, but I love it. I completely understand why Emily in "And Only to Deceive" has laid claim to her dead husband's port. I support her and would join her if I could. So now my quest is to find a better port. I would like the name of a good brand of port. Not one that would run me hundreds of dollars, I am afterall with limited funds, but something that would maybe cost between $40-$60. So if anyone has ideas please let me know.

I believe there are some other beverages that were popular as well. Ratafia I have not tried, but have a recipe for....I understand that it is very sweet. I'd be interested if anyone had a recipe not found in the Jane Austen Cookbook.

Modern Day Mes

Imagine my surprise as I was looking at a book and it was described as such "If Jane Austen had written the Da Vinci Code this book is what would have been created." The book is "And Only to Deceive" by Tasha Alexander. And if I wrote about Victorian England instead of Regency England and about females sleuths instead of gentle females and about art theft (Ha! I knew I could work it in some how) instead of the trials and tribulations of marriage, then yes, I would have written "And Only to Deceive." Do not get me wrong; this is an amazing book and I was excited to learn it was a series. Emily is a great female character and Colin Hargreaves is a reason to love not only spies, but British gentlemen spies as well. I am eagerly awaiting the fourth installment and cannot wait for its release or even a hint of when it will be released.

Jude Morgan, however, is me only slightly more viscous and perhaps, dare I say it, more clever?! He wrote "An Accomplished Woman" his take on "Persuasion" and it is fabulous. All his books are fabulous. There are some that are even studies of character and manners, which I totally enjoy (after all didn't I create that?). I have not yet read a Jude Morgan book that I did not appreciate. His book on the Romantic poets is divine. Unfortunately "An Accomplished Woman" will not be available to the US until April 2009. I ordered a copy from the UK because I loved the idea and his writing so much. I do not believe he has reached much acclaim in the US, but he certainly should.

Stephanie Barron writes a series where I, yes, me Jane Austen, is a sleuth. I must say that I was quite shocked to find myself solving mysteries and even more pleased that I was good at it. The amazing thing is how well Baron actually mimics my writing style. For a second I thought I was actually reading my diaries. It was a remarkable discovery.

So for those of you who think that six books was not enough for my literary career, fear not. There are others out there who can carry on my tradition and quite well in fact. Do not be disheartened by bad imitators. Try these geniuses and I swear you'll be pleased.