Cocktail Recipe

These are the perfect cocktails after a day spent with Magdalena.

In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil.  Add 2 cups of raspberries, chopped mint and tea bags.  Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  Remove tea bags and strain into a large pitcher.  Discard solids.  Add sugar , tequila, Grand Marnier, and lime juice and stir to combine.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.  Serve in individual glasses over ice.  Garnish with remaining raspberries and mint leaves.

***NOTE , I did not have hibiscus tea so I used dried hibiscus flowers from our amazing herb farm that is only minutes from our home.  I added  a few white tea bags along with the dried hibiscus flowers.  I also added the 3/4 cup of sugar to the boiling pot of water and ingredients to make an infused simple syrup.  I loved it and thought it was delicious.  If you feel it needs more sugar then you can stir in a little super fine sugar at the end ( I did not add any additional sugar, I don’t care for sweet cocktails)

recipe adapted from William Sonoma’s Cooking for Friends

Enjoy

Chapter 6

Negotiating with Magdalena and the Boys

( chapter 1-5 here)

Hours of grueling negotiations kept Magdalena focused on business and not Christopher during their meeting. Every now and then she couldn’t help but glance over in the direction of her mother and the Prince.  They went off in a corner and carried on a conversation reminiscing about their time in Paris together so many years ago.  They were laughing, loud and very distracting. Magdalena wanted to ask them to leave, but you don’t ask a Prince to leave, at least not one about to write a check for millions of dollars.  On second thought her mother knew exactly what she was doing, she was sealing the deal with her flirtatious attitude and what seemed like a blatant ‘If you give us the money you and I will pick up where we left off in Paris ‘ attitude.  Whats up with women in their 50′s, Magdalena wondered to herself as she watched this man who couldn’t take his eyes off her mother.  Her mother and her mom’s girlfriends still had the energy of teenagers, they were always running around somewhere in high heels with their long shiny hair and smooth faces.  They just weren’t aging, I guess 56 is the new 36 she thought. Magdalena believed her youth was all she needed to capture the attention of a man, apparently her mother had a special something that kept their attention.  Her mom has told her for years it is very easy for a young attractive woman to get a man’s attention, but it is only the most fascinating women who keep their attention and that is the allure of an older woman.  Her mother also has much more important things on her mind then getting noticed by men, this is something that comes with age, something Magdalena will understand one day.  ’Whatever’ Magdalena thought, she would much rather be young, gorgeous and hot.  Her dad and Uncle Christopher along with her two older brothers via computer and their attorneys laid out the terms of the deal.  After handshakes and contracts were signed they were ready to call it a day.  Her dad wanted to get back home, he had planned to watch a big heavy weight boxing fight that evening from the comfort of his bed. Her mom would make some ‘guy’ food and they would hang out alone together and watch the fight, both her parents were avid boxing fans.  Magdalena of course had another plan, she told her parents she would get a ride back to New Jersey with Christopher.  She planned to entice him back to her parent’s apartment in the city,  as no one would be there, she would think of some excuse. She could tell him she left a few contracts there that she needed to pick up.  After a few cocktails they wouldn’t be going anywhere until the next morning, she could barely think straight she was so dizzy with longing and lust for him.  My God look at him she thought to herself, his accent and wavy black hair, blue eyes and 6’2″ body made her weak in the knees, she thought with a sexy smile on her face.  Christopher was looking right at her when she was smiling lasciviously at him  Christopher had not planned to go anywhere with her, but after a long day of meetings he wouldn’t mind unwinding with drinks and a late dinner in the city.   He agreed to go under one condition he would pick the place, he wasn’t interested in going to one of her young 20 year old hangouts, he was 56 years old and not into that club scene.  She agreed and excused herself while she went to the ladies room to freshen up.  She took down her hair from its chic chignon and shook it out into a sexy tousled cascade of dark brown waves. She touched up her makeup and perfume, unbuttoned yet another button on her fitted white blouse showing a sexy glimpse of the midnight blue lace camisole she wore underneath. She was happy she popped into Agent Provocateur and picked up this sexy little number, Christopher was going to love it.  It was wonderful to be so young she thought, wrinkle free, radiant and energetic.  Everything was hers if she worked hard enough, her entire life was still ahead of her. While she was in the ladies room the Prince invited himself and Magdalena’s parents along to join Christopher and Magdalena for dinner and drinks. Magdalena’s mother was thrilled, she loves to go out especially in the city.  Her father was recording the fight at home so they could just watch it late night or the next evening,  he too agreed it would be fun to get out together and he was a bit curious about this Prince.  The Prince was an odd man, very boyish even in his 60′s, and still obviously smitten with his wife. As far as he knew his wife and the Prince have not had any contact in over 34 years yet he still followed her around like a lovesick puppy.  Well she was his, and this strange man didn’t have a chance, even if he was a prince.  Christopher was relieved they were joining them, he was nervous to be alone with Magdalena.  She was definitely up to something and as hard as he tried to get her out of his head he just couldn’t stop thinking about her.  She was so beautiful and sexy and so so young.   He was certain she wanted to be with him.  He didn’t know if he could control himself if he were alone with her.  She smells like coconuts and flowers and has the most gorgeous pink glossed lips, long tanned legs and that body, forget about it, she was made for sex. He had to get these thoughts out of his head, he was like an uncle to her, this was wrong, this was terrible, this would destroy his friendship with her father.  He didn’t love her that way, he couldn’t let himself,  but he wanted her. She kicked ass during that meeting, a girl in her early 20′s negotiating deals like that was such a turn on.  His girlfriend Harper was coming back to the states to stay with him in a few days, maybe he should just marry Harper and settle down.  That would keep him out of trouble, his bad boy ways were going to destroy too many lives.  Maybe its time to grow up he thought. Maybe he should have a kid, settle down.  Harper is 39 years old, beautiful and very successful journalist in London. He really cares deeply for Harper, but how could he be in love with her when he spends his nights dreaming about Magdalena and his days fantasising about being with her.  Perhaps he should just get away alone for a couple weeks, he could always head back to visit his family in Ireland.  His parents were quite elderly now and he didn’t spend nearly enough time with them.  They were incredibly proud of his success in the hotel business and they never put pressure or guilt on him to visit more frequently, his calls home daily seemed enough for them.

He watched Magdalen as she walked back in the room,  he couldn’t stop looking at her, when did she grow up, when did she start looking like this.   She saw the four of them standing together talking, she wondering why her parents were hanging around and what the hell was the Prince still doing there.  He must have a harem of young women to tend to she thought angrily.  Why can’t people, especially these older people just leave her and Christopher alone don’t they get tired she thought annoyed. She also wondered why her father would ever want to spend  an evening out having dinner with his wife’s ex lover, a filthy rich prince no less, it was very strange.  She assumed it was because he trusts her mother and they are so ridiculously in love its nauseating.  They are hardly ever apart.  Her mother does look damn good Magdalena thought. Her mom was wearing a fitted wool Ralph Lauren navy blue dress that hugged her body.  She had a classic handbag draped over her arm as she usually does. She wore only the simplest pearl earrings that Magdalena’s father gave her mother when they met in college many years ago. The only flashy thing on her were her sky high Louboutin animal print pumps, everything else was simple elegance just like her mother.  She loved her mother very very much and hoped to be as fulfilled and youthful when she was her age. She really was proud to have a mother like her even if they were so different from one another.  Magdalena was more ruthless, she went after what she wanted and got it, she was on her way to being a brilliant business woman and really put her own needs first before anyone else’s.  Even though she was born into this life she works very very hard and is earning her own money.  Her parents are tough on her and her brothers, encouraging them to make their own way in the world and their own money.  None of them are overly spoiled. Her mother however is very very domestic and nurturing, it us perplexing to Magdalena how much her mother loves to be in the kitchen covered in flour, baking away for hours and hours.  She smells like cookies and butter all the time and her father is always kissing her mom’s neck breathing in her sugary sweet scent. Her mother puts others first and is much more down to earth than Magdalena.  Most likely because her mother came from a blue color working class family and wasn’t born into money like Magdalena was, she never forgot where she came from.  She also bored the hell out of Magdalena with her never-ending stories about how her parents struggled to put her through college when she was growing up and how she worked so hard to get a scholarship to study in Paris during her sophomore year in college blah blah blah.  That is when her mother met and had an affair with the Prince.  Magdalena looked at all of them and realized no matter how much she wanted to be alone with Christoper they were unfortunately all tagging along.  That’s okay she thought, all in good time…..

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 22nd, 2010.
Tags: Magdalena a Novella, Magdalena's Adventures, raspberry hibiscus cocktails, Short stories
Posted in Books, Magdalena's Adventures