Mike and Alexandra discuss:

Recapping their trip to Alaska

Listener feedback connecting St. Peter’s mother-in-law with The Brothers Karamazov

What we know and don’t know about Mary Magdalene

Which of the Marys in the Bible are, or may be, Mary Magdalene

Did Mary Magdalene end up in France?

St. Anselm’s prayer to Mary Magdalene

Mike and Alexandra discuss:

Is the Gibson cocktail a martini?

St. Peter’s mother-in-law 

What “fishers of men” means

Explaining the various fishing miracles involving Peter

Mike and Alexandra discuss:

The Kir Cocktail, its allegories with Christ, and its background

How to use Kir to keep from wasting wine going bad

The origins of devotion to the Sacred Heart

Devotion to the Sacred Heart as a response to Jansenism

Trying a dusty bottle of La Grande Passion Liqueur, which was discontinued in the mid-1990’s

Mike and Alexandra discuss:

The anniversary of the conception of Drinking with the Saints

How the Trinity Cocktail represents the Holy Trinity

“Begotten” vs. “Spirited”

Why are liquors called “spirits?”

The feast of the Holy Trinity

Portals to God the Father

Mary as Mediatrix of all graces

Mike and Alexandra discuss the Ascension:

Versicles

3 reasons to be happy about the Ascension

Foods and drinks associated with Ascension

Superstitions tied to Ascension

A brief poetry session

The 6 “leaps” of Christ

A report on their pilgrimage to Portugal

Mike and Alexandra discuss:

The “Forbidden feasts”

May 4 - Feast of St. Monica (old calendar, now transferred to August)

May 5 - The Conversion of St. Augustine (celebrated by the Order of St. Augustine)

May 6 - St. John at the Latin Gate (on the old Calendar but nixed in 1960)

The Universal Calendar of the Church versus other calendars

Mike and Alexandra discuss the long-lost Catholic tradition of Rogation Days:

What are Rogation days

Customs of the rogation days

What happened to Rogationtide?

Why is Rogation important to bring back?

Mike and Alexandra prepare for Easter, with an Easter cocktail and tips on pairing the right wine with your Easter dinner! Other topics include:

Easter traditions

Origins of the Easter Bunny

The ties between Easter and eggs

Bizarre old Easter traditions, including “switching,” “drenching,” and “heaving”

The Easter Walk

The Emmaus Walk

Mike and Alexandra continue with the Lenten beer series. Topics include:

Lenten Beer: Belgian Tripel

7 Reasons to like Lady Day

7 Customs Associated with Lady Day, including the “Holy Ghost Hole”??

Mike and Alexandra continue with the Lenten beer series as well as an alcohol-free mocktail series. Topics include:

Trappist breweries

Dark Lent customs

Jack-o-lent

Herring

Pinatas

Trastevere and its incredible church

Mike and Alexandra continue with the Lenten beer series as well as an alcohol-free mocktail series. Topics include:

St. Francis of Paolo and the Paulaner monks

Doppelbock and its origin with Paulaner Salvatore

Pretzels and their origin as a Lenten snack

St. Lawrence in Panisperna, and the 3 other Roman churches for St. Lawrence

Mike and Alexandra welcome Lent by introducing a Lenten beer series, as well as an alcohol-free mocktail series. Topics include:

Happy Lent?

Beer series for Lent: Bock 

The connection between bock beer and goats

Station Days and their historical inclusion in the Missal

Mocktails for Lent

Mike and Alexandra make a classic New Orleans cocktail in anticipation of Mardi Gras, and then discuss various customs and traditions of Carnival, leading up to Lent, around the world. Topics include:

Carnival and its meaning

Shrovetide

What are packzi?

Collup Monday

Nickanan night

Other names for Fat Tuesday

Foley household Fat Tuesday traditions

Mike and Alexandra make a different version of the White Lady cocktail than in December, but it all goes awry when Mike attempts a metaphor to describe how the versions differ. Topics include:

The Apparitions at Lourdes

The Immaculate Conception and St. Maximilian Kolbe

Mike’s embarrassing story about visiting Lourdes

The “dark side” of the Lourdes apparitions

Mike and Alexandra opt not to make a cocktail that can burn your hand, and instead make one that ends up all over the floor. They discuss the many feasts that fall on February 2.

Where did turtledoves get their name?

The Byzantine tradition of St. Simeon’s death

Ritual purification - The evil, the bad, and the icky

Did Mary need ritual purification after birth?

Church ceremony that has taken the place of ritual purification today

Should you have your vanilla nutmeg candle blessed on Candlemas?

And of course, groundhog day and its origins

Mike and Alexandra discuss a cocktail that was not in the Drinking with the Saints book for St. Agnes, but perhaps would have been. It involves a unique ingredient that not even they have tried before.

They also talk about the life of St. Agnes and then take a look at some fascinating traditions that happen in Rome each year around the feast of St. Agnes.

Mike and Alexandra discuss St. Antony in the Desert, Antony vs. Anthony. They issue a mea culpa on a recipe from the Drinking with the Saints book and offer a revised version. They also talk about two bonus drinks for St. Antony, including a recipe if you are keeping January dry.

Some tidbits about St. Antony include his influence on monasticism, his association with pigs, and how his story influenced the conversion of St. Augustine.

Mike and Alexandra discuss the topsy-turvy traditions of the 12 Days of Christmas and the surprising way that they keep some of these traditions alive today.

Mike and Alexandra celebrate New Years Eve by taking a look at some of the interesting New Years traditions around the world. They even include a bonus drink for you to entertain your New Years guests with, and it involves fire.