Valentines Day: Massacres, Vinegar & Unsainted Saints

Be my Valentine What do debunked saints, a mob massacre, punch, highballs and vinegar have in common? They’re all part of our Valentine’s day celebration.

What Pope Gelasius I declared in 469AD, namely the honoring of Saint Valentine, who may have been two men, one from Rome and one from Terni, Pope Paul VI took away in 1969 when he removed St. Valentines Day from the Roman Catholic calendar. But that never stopped the steady march of Hallmark and the eating of chocolate and giving of roses.

What do debunked saints, a mob massacre, punch, highballs and vinegar have in common? They’re all part of our Valentine’s day celebration.

What Pope Gelasius I declared in 469AD, namely the honoring of Saint Valentine, who may have been two men, one from Rome and one from Terni, Pope Paul VI took away in 1969 when he removed St. Valentines Day from the Roman Catholic calendar.  But that never stopped the steady march of Hallmark and the eating of chocolate and giving of roses.

Valentines Day was less of a sacred holiday in 1929, when the infamous St. Valentines Day massacre took place in a Chicago warehouse.  Bugs Moran’s henchmen were lured there by the promise of a shipment of Old Log Cabin Whiskey from Canada and they were ambushed and executed by Al Capone’s gang… although no one was ever officially charged with the crime.

In honor of Old Log Cabin Whisky, why not make this 1929 Canada Punch? Recipe from Cocktail.com.  Offer a toast to Bugs, Al & Carrie Nation, and invite a lot of friends.

1929 Canada Punch
96 oz. Rye or Old Log Cabin Whiskey
32 oz. Jamaican rum
3.5 lb. of sugar
14 lemons, thinly sliced
2 pineapples, thinly sliced
4 gallons of water

Garnish with 1-2 Advils on a skewer, to be used the morning after.

Too complicated? Try a classic Prohibition drink:  The Highball: Whiskey, Ginger Ale. Serve with a straw so it looks like soda pop.

And if saccharine sweet Valentine’s are not your thing, try a Vinegar Valentine. Popular in the 1850’s they poked fun at the romantic notion of holidays.

If you really want to get to the core of the matter, then we should probably be wishing each other a happy Lupercalia, an ancient pagan festival that encourages good health and fertility. 

So many ways to celebrate!  Enjoy your Valentines Day no matter what you choose to do!
In the spirit of the holiday, Vook is offering Cooking Simply: The Italian Way for 99cents today, just in case you need a quick cooking lesson.
Me? I’m going vegetable shopping and then we’ll take it from there.