Friday, May 8, 2015

Blue and Gray Ball Punch with Amanda Flower




Amanda Flower is back with us today bringing a new drink and a new historical mystery series...

The Final Reveille released this month, and it’s my first mystery in the Living History Museum Mystery Series. The series is about a fictional living history museum and farm in Ohio. The first novel takes place during a Civil War reenactment on the Farm. Unfortunately, one of the attendees to the reenactment is found dead, and now single mom and museum director, Kelsey Cambridge, has to find the killer before her museum is ruined by the scandal.

Although the novel takes place in the present day, I had to extensive research on the Civil War and Civil War reenactments to get my facts right for the novel. I couldn’t have my reenactors walking around in the wrong regiment uniforms. As a librarian, I love research, and for this series, I particularly enjoyed researching the Civil War era party foods for the Blue and Gray Ball at the end of the book. During the ball, all of the characters wear Civil War period ball attire, including hoop skirts! In the 1860s, punch was the most popular beverage at such an event. Usually these were alcoholic, but I came up with non-alcoholic version. You could easily add the liquor of your choice to spice it up though!

Recipe for Blue and Gray Ball Punch for one

Ingredients:
1 cup of lemonade
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cranberry-raspberry or cranberry juice
1 cup of Ginger Ale
1 orange

Combine juices and chill for 20 minutes. Add ginger ale before serving. Use thinly sliced orange as a garnish.

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You can order The Final Reveille here:

Amanda Flower, a three time Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland. She also writes as National Bestselling Author Isabella Alan.
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