Blood Martini™

After a long day of hunting down the enemy, you head down 45th St., just past the meat packing district. Turning down a filthy alley way, you see the small scruffy sign over an ancient wooden door that simply says "Joe's." Knocking three times on the ancient oak entryway yields a crack in the surrounding brickwork, one of the bricks appears to fade and is replaced with all knowing eyes.

"Password" the gruff voice demands. You shuffle your feet and dig in your pockets for today's code. After what seems like an eternity, you locate the minute paper folded into what seems to be a thousand different ways, carefully disassembling it as to not tear the word into oblivion, it magically opens before you to reveal a single word. Triumphantly you stare in the foreboding abyss of eyes seeing through you from the brickwork.

"Mercury" is all you say. The eyes are replaced by brickwork, and the oak door opens enough for you to squeeze through, into the darkness of Joe's. You have moved into the close quarters of a working man's bar, men and women of all shapes and sizes, all social status and economic levels cloister within small cliques-except around the antique wooden bar in the center of the room.

As you pull up a velvet stool all eyes are upon you as Shady, the grizzled bartender, appears before you, wiping down a squat glass. "Whattel it be tonight?" he inquires impatiently. You take in a breath of the atmosphere before you answer, the scents of the room seem to come together as a ballet would, smooth, made for each other. You smell the gingery honey tea that the bee girl is drinking, the smoke from the Russian Queen's pearl cigarette, Velvet and Witch's Wood from the bar make your mouth water. You know what you want has a high price, but just for a sniff of the combination, it's all worth it.

As you look up to meet Shady's impatient glare, the ornate gold framed mirror
behind him shows only the bottles before it, dusty old and labels faded, the
empty booths, the decaying wood. There are no reflections here. "The usual, Shady," you say in a whisper, staring into nothing but Shady's twisted grimace.

"One Blood Martini coming right up."

• Created By: Danna Taylor

Magickal Meanings of Ingredients:

Magical Properties: Love and passion inducing, defense of the soul, protection.

Prominent Notes: A succulent concoction of all things dark and intoxicating: blood raspberries, maroon currants, night blooming orchids, black cranberries, crimson spice, Black Forest wood.

Tags: For Women, Sex/Passion/Lust, Mood Elevating, Glamour, Personal Power