From birth, Mary Stuart was destined to rule. Mary was nine months old when she was crowned the Queen of Scotland on this day in 1543 as the heir of her father, James V. She also married a French prince and became the queen consort of France in 1559. She even had an excellent claim to England’s throne through her great grandfather King Henry VII.
Yet she was never allowed to rule for very long. Regents ruled Scotland in her stead when she was a child. Her husband Francis II of France died only one year into his reign at age 16. Her second husband, Lord Darnley, was murdered two years into their marriage. She was forced to abdicate her Scottish throne to her one-year-old son, James, and when she sought help from her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth locked Mary away in various castles for 18 years for her own political ends and to squash any further claims.
In 1586, Mary was found guilty of plotting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. She was beheaded the following year and became a martyr for Scottland and Catholics for what would be a long and tragic Catholic/Protestant religious and political feud across Great Britain.
Music Du Jour:
Here are some Renaissance Tunes to put you in the mood for English and Scottish throne games: https://open.spotify.com/album/08IjDgxr9M9bpdYgHz3pB5
Films Du Jour:
Mary Queen ⦁ of⦁ Scots (2018)
The Serpent Queen series
Reign series
Mary of Scotland (1936)
The Private Lives of the Tudors (2019)
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Mary, Queen of Scots (1972)
Snacks Du Jour:
Here’s a good Scottish shortbread recipe
Some orange and whiskey marmalade is a proper topping
Cocktail Du Jour – Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary (said to be in honor of Mary Queen of Scots) was invented in either France or New York in the 1920s, depending on who you talk to. It is also used to alleviate a hangover. If you are shy on ingredients, a bottle of Zing Zang also works well for mixing.
⦁ 1 oz vodka
⦁ 4 oz tomato juice
⦁ 0.5 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
⦁ Dash of each: sea salt, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce
⦁ 1 pinch of horseradish if you like heat
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour in a tall glass over ice. Optional garnishes include: celery stalks, carrot sticks, olives, cucumber spears, bacon, sweet or dill pickles, other pickled vegetables, cubes of cheese, and cocktail shrimp.
Mocktail Du Jour – Bloody Mary Mocktail
Omit the vodka from the recipe above and it’s going to taste pretty close to the cocktail.
Beer Du Jour
Scotch Ale
Wine Du Jour
Continuing the bloody (sangre) theme, today is a good day for a Torres Sangre De Toro Tempranillo, a ruby red La Mancha Spanish (arguably Catholic) wine with hints of tragedy.
Use freshly squeezed citrus in your cocktails and mocktails when called for – It makes such a difference! Here’s a reliable and inexpensive juicer.
Get Beverage Du Jour alerts by email so you always know how and when to celebrate.
© 2023, The Beverage Du Jour, TRH Online, LLC. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. “A miniature of Mary, Queen of Scots” by lisby1 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.