Rasputin Day – December 30th
As Rasputin’s character is inseparable from the fall of the Romanovs, the subsequent Bolshevik takeover, and the desperate and politically minded people who have told his story, it is difficult to know for sure which of the fantastic rumors about him are true. His death, however, is well documented. On this day in 1916, the mystic monk, Grigori Rasputin was poisoned, shot repeatedly, beaten, and finally thrown into the icy Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Rasputin was a travelling monk from Siberia who had unorthodox opinions, unsophisticated habits, and a reputation for successfully treating people who suffered from anxiety. His charisma made him an instant celebrity in St. Petersburg, where he was called both prophet and charlatan. In 1906 he became a healer for Tsar Nicholas II’s only son, Prince Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. In 1912, he predicted by courier that Alexi would recover from a life-threatening hemorrhage and that his mother, Alexandra Feodorovna, need not worry. The boy recovered a day later. Thinking him a miracle man, the Romanovs began seeking Rasputin’s counsel on several matters.
The conspiracy to kill Rasputin included the Tsar’s nephew, Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovichas, and other aristocrats and politicians who feared the monk’s influence on the Romanov royal family and painted him as a demon. Rasputin consumed most of a cake laced with cyanide at the prince’s behest. He drank three glasses of his favorite wine, madeira, which were also poisoned, but still showed no sign of distress. Yusupov shot him in the chest, thinking that was the end of him, and then later watched as the monk rose up, attack him, and then pursue him across his own palace. Politician Vladimir Purishkevich stepped in and shot him twice more, once in the forehead. They beat him, wrapped him in a cloth, and dumped him in the frozen river before he could rise again. Within three months, following the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate.
Music Du Jour: Russian Folk Music for your pleasure, and here is Rasputin by Boney M.
Films Du Jour:
- The King’s Man (2021)
- Hellboy (2004)
- Rasputin: Dark Prophet (2019) documentary
- Rasputin, Dark Servant of Destiny (1996, HBO)
- Agony (1981) is a Soviet film in Russian
- Rasptuin (series, 2014)
- Raspoutine (2011) is a French/Russian film
- Anastasia (1997, Disney)
- Rasputin – The Mad Monk (1966) with Christopher Lee
Miscellaneous:
- The King’s Man trailer
- Rasputin T-Shirt
- Rasputin’s daughter, Maria emigrated to the U.S. and worked as a dancer and lion tamer
- Rasputin biography
- Rasputin icons
Snacks du Jour: Cake, beets, caviar, and any snack that will leave crumbs in your beard
Cocktail Du Jour – Rasputin Cocktail
Today would be a fine excuse to drink chilled vodka strait from a glass, but if you’re not feeling that strong, here’s the Rasputin:
- 2 oz raspberry flavored vodka
- 5 oz cranberry juice
- 5 oz grapefruit juice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a highball glass over ice. Garnish with lime wedge.
Mocktail Du Jour – Rasputin Mocktail
- 1 oz raspberry syrup
- 5 oz cranberry juice
- 2 oz grapefruit juice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a highball glass over ice. Garnish with lime wedge.
Beer Du Jour
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Wine Du Jour
Madeira
Use freshly squeezed citrus in your cocktails and mocktails when called for – It makes such a difference! Here’s a reliable and inexpensive juicer.
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“Russia_2244 – Rasputin” by archer10 (Dennis) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
