Trouble in Transylvania and the Bloody Brasov

Inspired by her recent visit to Romania, Kerry Hammond created the perfect drink to pair with a book that takes place in Transylvania.

Trouble in Transylvania is the second book in Barbara Wilson’s Cassandra Reilly series. The book was given to me by a friend because of an upcoming vacation I had scheduled to Transylvania. I love to read books set in the locale I am about to, or have recently, visited; it helps me get into the spirit and look forward to the trip even more.

Cassandra Reilly is a translator and traveler, she left Michigan years ago and never looked back. She’s made a lot of friends along the way and had quite a few adventures. In her most recent, on the way to a stopover in Budapest, she meets some colorful travelers who happen to be sharing her train car. First, we have Gladys Bentwhistle and her granddaughter, Bree, who are headed to a spa in Romania. Then there are the Snapps, an American family traveling to the town where they adopted their youngest daughter, a four-year-old who hasn’t spoken a word yet. Once the train arrives in Budapest, Cassandra assumes she’s put her fellow travelers behind her.

But after Cassandra reconnects with her Australian friend, Jack, and meets Jack’s new business partner Eva, she is contacted by Bree. Gladys has been accused of murder at the spa where she and Bree are staying. Cassandra, Jack, and Eva decide to head to Arcata, Romania to try and help Gladys out of her predicament.

This book was published in 1993, shortly after the Berlin Wall came down and Yugoslavia was split into different countries. In Romania, the communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu was overthrown and later put to death. It was a time full of change and turmoil and it was very interesting to read about the area's history as well as the geography.

I paired this book with a drink I created called the Bloody Brasov. Brasov is a city in the Transylvania region of Romania.

Bloody Brasov

1 ½ ounces raspberry liqueur

½ ounce Beefeater gin

½ ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into martini glass. If you look closely at the photo you can see that the glass I chose has a skeletal hand and arm holding up the glass. Noroc! (That's Cheers in Romanian.)