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Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour
Raise Your Spirits and Toast the Saints
Recipe for a liturgically correct mix Bartender’s Guide and Lives of the Saints, shake well, garnish with good cheer. Drinking with the Saints is a concoction that both sinner and saint will savor.
Michael Foley offers the faithful drinker witty and imaginative instruction on the appropriate libations for the seasons, feasts, and saints’ days of the Church year.
· A guide to wine, beer, and spirits, including 38 original cocktails
· Lively sketches of scores of saints, from the popular to the obscure
· Tips on giving the perfect toast and on mixing the perfect drink
· Even includes drinks for Lent!
Recipe for a liturgically correct mix Bartender’s Guide and Lives of the Saints, shake well, garnish with good cheer. Drinking with the Saints is a concoction that both sinner and saint will savor.
Michael Foley offers the faithful drinker witty and imaginative instruction on the appropriate libations for the seasons, feasts, and saints’ days of the Church year.
· A guide to wine, beer, and spirits, including 38 original cocktails
· Lively sketches of scores of saints, from the popular to the obscure
· Tips on giving the perfect toast and on mixing the perfect drink
· Even includes drinks for Lent!
Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2015
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576 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 1, 2018
I first came across this book while at the gift shop for St. Anthony's Reliquary in Troy Hill (Pittsburgh), the biggest collection of relics outside of the Vatican.
I was raised strongly Catholic, went K-8 and then to a Jesuit University, but lost my faith somewhere between high school and college. Yet, I've always maintained an irreverent curiosity towards Catholicism eccentricities, esotericisms, and magnificent corpses.
So, with a playful subtitle "The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour", I knew I found my tribe. Much of the introductory writing is quite clever, witty, referential and reverential--all the best quotes about drinking have been drunk up. In addition, Foley does quite a good job talking about moderation, temperance and the importance of not getting drunk. But celebrating life with conviviality.
There's a nice history of Catholicisms contribution to the craft of alcohol. Name dropping GK Chesterson with the story of his conversion to Catholicism because it is the only religion that could reconcile the pipe, the pint and the Cross. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, alcohol can be consumed in a moral manner to the point of cheerfulness. That does not include holding up the lampost or three-sheeting it to the wind.
The art of drinking involves a discerning palate, a sense of moderation, and a generous dose of self-knowledge.
I was surprised to find there wasn't a Saint for everyday of the year (i.e. even disappointed not to find one for my birthday). The weakest point was the organization (as the Catholic Church made a few changes while the book was in progress).
Have communion with the communion of saints. Now I just look forward to a version that includes meals to try each day. The book has a lot of "Last Call" Party suggestions (similar to a Passover Seder party with seven drinks, each for the seven plagues), including an "Happy Doomsday Party" and listing beers with apocalyptic names. They talk about the trappist beers (one of my favorites) with great reverence.
I was raised strongly Catholic, went K-8 and then to a Jesuit University, but lost my faith somewhere between high school and college. Yet, I've always maintained an irreverent curiosity towards Catholicism eccentricities, esotericisms, and magnificent corpses.
So, with a playful subtitle "The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour", I knew I found my tribe. Much of the introductory writing is quite clever, witty, referential and reverential--all the best quotes about drinking have been drunk up. In addition, Foley does quite a good job talking about moderation, temperance and the importance of not getting drunk. But celebrating life with conviviality.
There's a nice history of Catholicisms contribution to the craft of alcohol. Name dropping GK Chesterson with the story of his conversion to Catholicism because it is the only religion that could reconcile the pipe, the pint and the Cross. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, alcohol can be consumed in a moral manner to the point of cheerfulness. That does not include holding up the lampost or three-sheeting it to the wind.
The art of drinking involves a discerning palate, a sense of moderation, and a generous dose of self-knowledge.
I was surprised to find there wasn't a Saint for everyday of the year (i.e. even disappointed not to find one for my birthday). The weakest point was the organization (as the Catholic Church made a few changes while the book was in progress).
Have communion with the communion of saints. Now I just look forward to a version that includes meals to try each day. The book has a lot of "Last Call" Party suggestions (similar to a Passover Seder party with seven drinks, each for the seven plagues), including an "Happy Doomsday Party" and listing beers with apocalyptic names. They talk about the trappist beers (one of my favorites) with great reverence.
June 12, 2022
The book basically combines a Lives of the Saints with a cocktail recipe book. It is written from a very Catholic perspective, yet Foley maintains a wry, sometimes even impious sense of humor. His descriptions and recommendations for beers and wines are extraordinary, he clearly knows his subject both broadly and deeply. For instance, when I used to live in Munich, one of my favorite breweries was Ettaler, but this was not even widely available through all of Germany, much less in lands abroad. Yet Foley mentions it and describes it accurately. He gives a great many cocktail recipes too; while there are plenty of sweet examples, it seems pretty clear that Foley himself is not a drinker of the sweet stuff, preferring bitter or citrus-flavored cocktails.
I wonder about the choice of his style. He could have tried to make this an inclusive work, basing drink ideas and recipes around the calendar of the saints, but in a way to introduce them to non-Catholics in a friendly and open way. However, he cannot seem to help taking witty jabs at Protestants, Muslims, and others, and proclaiming forth Catholic stances on a variety of issues. This ought to be well-received by at least the Catholic audience, but the impiety of Foley's humor might well turn off the sterner sort. Especially as Foley relies on a pre-Vatican II calendar and an older translation of the Bible, one would think he would at least want to appeal to the Opus Dei crowd. It seems that he instead left himself with a pretty small cross section of committed Catholics but with a sense of self-deprecating humor. A pity, given the quality of his drink advice and recipes. Anyway, if you can stomach the saints part of the work, I think you will find the drinking part of it truly outstanding.
I wonder about the choice of his style. He could have tried to make this an inclusive work, basing drink ideas and recipes around the calendar of the saints, but in a way to introduce them to non-Catholics in a friendly and open way. However, he cannot seem to help taking witty jabs at Protestants, Muslims, and others, and proclaiming forth Catholic stances on a variety of issues. This ought to be well-received by at least the Catholic audience, but the impiety of Foley's humor might well turn off the sterner sort. Especially as Foley relies on a pre-Vatican II calendar and an older translation of the Bible, one would think he would at least want to appeal to the Opus Dei crowd. It seems that he instead left himself with a pretty small cross section of committed Catholics but with a sense of self-deprecating humor. A pity, given the quality of his drink advice and recipes. Anyway, if you can stomach the saints part of the work, I think you will find the drinking part of it truly outstanding.
July 25, 2015
Drinking with the Saints is a delight. Not only is it tastefully written (pun intended, of course) but it is also thoughtfully presented and very well researched. Foley's breadth of learning is evident in every story—for he offers stories, not "lessons" about each drink and the saint with whom it is associated—never pedantic but rather always light and wry. Indeed, you can learn a great deal by reading this book without feeling that you're doing so. So, it's not "Hats off to Foley," but rather "Glasses high, and cheers of congratulations all round."
January 2, 2021
I listened to a podcast where the author, Michael Foley, was interviewed about his book. It intrigued me right away - what a great stocking suffer, I thought.
It did not disappoint.
Much of what we imbibe today we have monks to thank for. They invented things like whiskey and liqueurs, or they perfected the production process, such as the brewing of beer. The book follows the Catholic liturgical year and the saints' days. For each saint there is a short biography and a beer, wine, spirit, or cocktail deemed especially fitting.
The subtitle states: "The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour." I must say, idea alone to write such a book shows great mirth and joy of life.
It did not disappoint.
Much of what we imbibe today we have monks to thank for. They invented things like whiskey and liqueurs, or they perfected the production process, such as the brewing of beer. The book follows the Catholic liturgical year and the saints' days. For each saint there is a short biography and a beer, wine, spirit, or cocktail deemed especially fitting.
The subtitle states: "The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour." I must say, idea alone to write such a book shows great mirth and joy of life.
Hilaire Belloc:
Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There's always laughter and good wine.
At least I've always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!
Read
July 15, 2016This is a terrific book to add to your library, especially if you have a beverage section, like I do!
June 1, 2015
Amazon knows me too well. It suggested this upcoming book as I was browsing at Christmastime, and I immediately preordered it based on the title alone. When it arrived, hardcover and coffee table-sized, it was even better than I had imagined. It includes a saint and cocktail recipe for each day, as well as cocktail recipes organized by liturgical season, toasts, pictures and a weird sense of humor.
June 26, 2015
This book is amazing - it's creative, informative and very fun. My husband and I have enjoyed reading it so far (as well as getting recommendations for cocktails, etc). It is also a beautiful book - love that it's hardcover! I also enjoy that there are additional sections on liturgical seasons and that there are directions for toasts! Love this book and I would recommend it to anyone.
May 9, 2016
I like the book. I really do. It has a lot of fantastic content.
However, I am completely disappointed the organization of the entire book.
This book follows an outdated calendar of feast days. If you want to find the correct feast day, you have to turn to an appendix. The author justifies this by listing two reasons. First, he says "several of the drinks" in the book developed when the outdated calendar was in place. However, it appears that MOST of the drink recipes are pretty new, so that doesn't make sense. Secondly, he says he does that because the outdated calendar had more feast days. That's great, but he could have simply added them into the book and made a note in the entry stating that that particular feast was no longer on the calendar. Even my husband, a rad-trad born and bred, remarked that the author's explanation for why he organized the entire book the way he did comes off as "snobbish" and does not make sense when the greater Church doesn't follow that anymore.
If you are a practicing Catholic, and not a member of the FSSP or other such organization, you're likely following the ordinary Roman calendar. The Roman calendar has been in continual change since the earliest days of Catholicism, and as Catholics, we should follow the Magisterium in its decisions to change such things. We should not stick our heads in the sand!
The author should have had the normal feast day fall on the appropriate day, and in parentheses, listed alternate dates for members of the FSSP, SSPX, etc. If was so bent on pretending this is still the 1950's and not the 21st century, he could have at the very least placed a note for the feast on the appropriate date with a little note below it saying, see page xx. For example, if you are looking for ideas for the Visitation, you'll likely flip to the May section (because that's when it is celebrated!), see nothing listed, and think, hmm, he didn't have any ideas for the Visitation - that's too bad. You have to either already know that during one arbitrary time period in the Church's history it happened to be celebrated in July, or you have to double-check the back of the book's appendix. That's ridiculous. At the very least, he could have had, "May 31: the Visitation, see July 2, page 153."
On a smaller note, some of the author's jokes don't come across in written word very well, and may appear a bit flippant. There are also several pop culture references (Aerosmith, The Godfather, etc) that seem a bit out of place in this book. These are minor things, but I only list them as some people may be turned off by them.
However, I am completely disappointed the organization of the entire book.
This book follows an outdated calendar of feast days. If you want to find the correct feast day, you have to turn to an appendix. The author justifies this by listing two reasons. First, he says "several of the drinks" in the book developed when the outdated calendar was in place. However, it appears that MOST of the drink recipes are pretty new, so that doesn't make sense. Secondly, he says he does that because the outdated calendar had more feast days. That's great, but he could have simply added them into the book and made a note in the entry stating that that particular feast was no longer on the calendar. Even my husband, a rad-trad born and bred, remarked that the author's explanation for why he organized the entire book the way he did comes off as "snobbish" and does not make sense when the greater Church doesn't follow that anymore.
If you are a practicing Catholic, and not a member of the FSSP or other such organization, you're likely following the ordinary Roman calendar. The Roman calendar has been in continual change since the earliest days of Catholicism, and as Catholics, we should follow the Magisterium in its decisions to change such things. We should not stick our heads in the sand!
The author should have had the normal feast day fall on the appropriate day, and in parentheses, listed alternate dates for members of the FSSP, SSPX, etc. If was so bent on pretending this is still the 1950's and not the 21st century, he could have at the very least placed a note for the feast on the appropriate date with a little note below it saying, see page xx. For example, if you are looking for ideas for the Visitation, you'll likely flip to the May section (because that's when it is celebrated!), see nothing listed, and think, hmm, he didn't have any ideas for the Visitation - that's too bad. You have to either already know that during one arbitrary time period in the Church's history it happened to be celebrated in July, or you have to double-check the back of the book's appendix. That's ridiculous. At the very least, he could have had, "May 31: the Visitation, see July 2, page 153."
On a smaller note, some of the author's jokes don't come across in written word very well, and may appear a bit flippant. There are also several pop culture references (Aerosmith, The Godfather, etc) that seem a bit out of place in this book. These are minor things, but I only list them as some people may be turned off by them.
December 27, 2018
This book is so great that while I took it out of the library, I may actually need to purchase it. Basically, it's a guide to getting to understand the saints better, while honoring them with a specific alcoholic beverage. He does encourage sharing and moderation; but there is definitely a sense of dark humor running through this.
There are several interesting, almost forgotten cocktail recipes in here; the author also suggests beers and wines where appropriate. There are many saints in here that I didn't know about; there are at least a few (Dymphna???) that were missing and I thought could have been included.
But overall, this is an educational and fun book that may enrich your spiritual life. Is there really anything else you can ask for in a book?
There are several interesting, almost forgotten cocktail recipes in here; the author also suggests beers and wines where appropriate. There are many saints in here that I didn't know about; there are at least a few (Dymphna???) that were missing and I thought could have been included.
But overall, this is an educational and fun book that may enrich your spiritual life. Is there really anything else you can ask for in a book?
August 5, 2021
This compendium of alcoholic beverages is loaded with information about cocktails, wine, beer, Catholic saints, holy days and customs, and even toasts to go along with special celebrations. Cocktail recipes include old favorites, obscure libations, and new combinations. The book goes through the calendar year, identifying the beverages that complement the Church calendar of saints and feast days. Not every day is noted, but there's plenty to choose from! Also covered are special seasons such as Advent, Twelve Days of Christmas, Easter season, etc. Topping it all off is a witty and engaging narrative that makes this encyclopedic book a delight to read. Now to get started with the recipes!
December 24, 2023
Sometimes, you read a book and think that it was written specifically for you. This was one of those times because cocktails and Saints -- loved it. I even learned quite a bit about cocktails, beers and wine. For example, why cocktail glasses (and wine glasses) are the way they are and that cocktails are an American invention, which doesn't seem right until you really start thinking about it.
My only minor criticism would be that occasionally it would say (see below) and what it meant to say is (see the next page). I wish they would have corrected these once the book was formatted.
My only minor criticism would be that occasionally it would say (see below) and what it meant to say is (see the next page). I wish they would have corrected these once the book was formatted.
August 7, 2017
I really wanted to like this book, the format is great. It was informative and funny. But, I don't understand why some well known saints were left out like Maximilian Kolbe, Edith Stein and Martin de Porres. Also, the entries were inconsistent with content that did not seem to match the importance of the saint. For example, both Therese of Liseaux and Teresa of Avila had rather short entries which did not befit doctors of the church, while Maria Goretti had a much larger spread.
June 27, 2016
Didn't get to look through the whole thing but so far I really like the idea of this book. It seems to be very clever and the author definitely had to have put a lot of work into it. This is one I'm actually going to buy since I can't see myself constantly trying to check it out from the library.
March 8, 2017
It's a years worth of knowledge and a years worth of drinking, of course it's one of those daily things of interest, so I'm really saying I have it and i try to read it every day to learn something new.
July 20, 2018
A lighthearted drinking guide to the lives of the saints. Most of the cocktails do not call for exotic ingredients (like a liqueur that you will use once and never ever ever again), but the author does find some fairly exotic tipples that he suggests substitutes for.
December 6, 2018
Alcohol has ruined lives- drunkenness is always wrong . No doubt about that. But, as Bp Randy Adler (RIP) said, “ The Church needs to teach the world how to drink.”
Read
January 2, 2017a fun and informative book!
April 5, 2019
Clever, witty, and fun it’s a strange mix between cocktail book and saint of the day readings. A true joy! Just be ready to blow out your liquor/beer/wine cabinet!
Want to read
March 29, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
May 21, 2021
Fun! Links saints to drinks with a bit of history.
February 23, 2022
I haven't learned this much about Catholicism and the Saints since catechism in high school.
Unlike high school, I learned a lot of new cocktails and liqueurs. My BevMo cart has grown.
Unlike high school, I learned a lot of new cocktails and liqueurs. My BevMo cart has grown.
December 31, 2022
Very interesting look at some history I didn't know and had great drink recipes to go with them.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews