The Language of Bees and a Drink to That!

There are a number of authors I go back to again and again, but have never posted about.  We need to remedy that situation. Immediately.  A favorite of mine has been Laurie R. King, with her Mary Russell series, a woman in partnership with Sherlock Holmes (yes:)), solving mysteries and raising bees.  This one I've just finished, The Language of Bees, is ninth in King's series.  I do recommend beginning at the beginning with the first, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, or On the Segregation of the Queen. Also a totally excellent read.

From the Publishers, on The Language of Bees:: 
"For Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, returning to the Sussex coast after seven months abroad was especially sweet. There was even a mystery to solve—the unexplained disappearance of an entire colony of bees from one of Holmes’s beloved hives.But the anticipated sweetness of their homecoming is quickly tempered by a galling memory from the past. Mary had met Damian Adler only once before, when the surrealist painter had been charged with—and exonerated from—murder. Now the troubled young man is enlisting the Holmeses’ help again, this time in a desperate search for his missing wife and child.
Mary has often observed that there are many kinds of madness, and before this case yields its shattering solution she’ll come into dangerous contact with a fair number of them. From suicides at Stonehenge to the dark secrets of a young woman’s past on the streets of Shanghai, Mary will find herself on the trail of a killer more dangerous than any she’s ever faced—a killer Sherlock Holmes himself may be protecting for reasons near and dear to his heart."

Holmes and Russell do have the occasional adult beverage, and foods are mentioned, using their own home raised honey, though this is not per se a "Foodie" book.  So, I have invented a special drink in their honor, which I'm calling Creamy Rum de Cocoa.  I often make a morning cacao drink, using roasted, ground nibs, in my French Press.  There was some extra sitting in the bottom of the cup and press one recent morning, and later in the day it occurred to me that it could be the base for another sort of drink.  If you don't have that particular ingredient, just use a bit of cocoa mix, shaken up with a few tablespoons of water and add to the rest.

Creamy Rum de Cocoa

1 1/2 jiggers cocoa
1  jigger cream
1 jigger creme de cacao
1/2 jigger dark rum
1/2 jigger honey (or to taste- if you're using a commercial Creme de Cacao, they're often pretty sweet)
shake of nutmeg
 ice cubes
toppings - nutmeg, cinnamon, and a stick of cinnamon

Shake all ingredients, except toppings, in a cocktail shaker till well chilled and frothy.  Pour into a tumbler and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon or both. Add your cinnamon stick for effect and enjoy.  Cheers!

I'll shake this on over to Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event and with Heather's August Foodies Read Challenge.  Be sure to stop by and check out the mix - good food and books as well.