The Handmaid’s Tale + Blood Orange Negroni
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian work of speculative fiction set in the United States where the Sons of Jacob, an extreme Christian movement, take over the government and install a totalitarian theocracy. This new regime alters the way women take part in society by subjugating them and partitioning out their roles as defined by their connection to men. The whole story is seen through the eyes of the handmaid Offred (literally “Of Fred”), a woman who is able to have children thus she is assigned to The Commander, Fred, as essentially a live-in mistress. Of course, this is all in service of furthering the human race and The Commander’s wife, Serena Joy, should not only understand this, but also take part in the ritualized copulations between her husband and the handmaid. Follow Offred as she navigates her life and remembers back to a different time. This story is intensely interesting, fully disturbing, and highly symbolic in so many ways. Difficult to read at times and chillingly real, yet a storyline that just wraps you up and pulls you in. (Published by Penguin Random House).
Blood Orange Negroni
(From www.bourbonandhoney.com and as seen on Instagram via @artofdrinks)
The deep red uniforms of the Handmaidens and the symbolic nature of colors throughout the book make the Blood Orange Negroni a perfect pick to accompany “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The heavy booze factor in this drink also helps to calm the nerves as you read this work of fiction. This stunningly red drink was spotted on @artofdrinks from Bourbon and Honey. Chug it down and try not to lose all your humanity.
Blood Orange Negroni
- 1 oz gin
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- 1 oz freshly squeezed blood orange
- 1 oz sparkling white wine or prosecco
Place ice into a mixing glass. Add gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and blood orange juice - stir to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with blood orange slice.
