Drunk as a Monk

It has been a crazy week for me. It turns out that crazy things happen in ministry. Like mobs gathering outside your Church threatening to burn it down. In Boston, MA in 2013. Last time somebody threatened to burn down a reformed Church was probably Switzerland circa 1500. Anyway, in the aftermath of this and while writing a sermon for this week, I could not put together a big, thoughtful post. BUT... I have something awesome in store. Ministry almost drove me to drinking this week, so I present to you: a gallery of awesome, old-timey pictures of monks and other clergy drinking. Seriously, ministry is hard. And I'm just an intern right now.

Martin Luther started off as a monk

These paintings are all the work of Eduard von Gruetzner, a late 19th century painter famous for painting pictures of clergy drinking. Awesome. Someone really needs to take up that role again. It's also worth noting that some of the world's finest beer is made by monks. Just saying. Here are some of my favorites from Gruetzner:

1) A Capuchin friar chilling so hard. Notice that he is also smoking a cigar. He earned it.

 

2) Not sure what order this guy is from. If you know, hit me up in the comments. In any case, he's clearly a G.

 2) This dude is a Cardinal, which is a big deal. Ecclesiastical authority does not translate to authority in matters of taste, however. Although he seems to think it does.

  

3) Here a Dominican friar offers a toast. It looks like he has a little Eucharist action going. But you can tell from the background that he's in the wine cellar so probably not.

4) Looks like a Capuchin or a Franciscan. In either case, what a sweet stein.

5) A bunch of monks hanging out in the wine cellar of the monastery. I wonder what the conversation of a bunch of drunk monks looks like. Probably real deep.

I don't blame any of these guys for drinking and relaxing now that I know how hard ministry is. If you go to Church, thank your pastor. Or, better, buy your pastor a drink if they are into that sort of thing.

This week's drink is unrelated to the theme. Other than the fact that it's awesome.

The Mezcal Mid-day

This is a variant of the Margarita. Mezcal is a liquor distilled from agave, like tequila, but true tequila can only be made from blue agave. Everything else is mezcal, which can still be top shelf and fantastic.

Ingredients: 2 oz. Mezcal, 1 oz. Patron Citronge (or just triple sec), special sour mix.

special sour mix: muddle one big lime wedge, one tablespoon sugar, one shake cinnamon powder, one shake powdered cayenne. Add appx. 2 oz cold water.

Shake mezcal, liqueur, and sour mix over ice. Strain into chilled glass. Enjoy.

The drink is spicy, so be careful lest its sensual nature tempt you to sin.