Charles Dickens and a Cup of Smoking Bishop!

In the final scene of the beloved Charles Dickens holiday classic A Christmas Carol, an enlightened Ebenezer Scrooge proclaims to his downtrodden yet faithful employee Bob Cratchit:

“A Merry Christmas, Bob!" said Scrooge with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. "A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I'll raise your salary, and endeavor to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon over a bowl of Smoking Bishop, Bob!”

Overwhelmed with his wildly festive transformation and newfound gratitude, Scrooge needs a cup of holiday cheer. What is this bowl of Smoking Bishop that he mentions sharing with Cratchit?

In his book Drinking with Dickens, Cedric Dickens, the great-grandson of Charles, tells us that back in the 1800s, people enjoyed a whole range of "clerical drinks.” Historian and wine master Elizabeth Gabay tells us that The Bishop is the most famous of a family of warm drinks – mainly punches – called “clerical drinks” or “ecclesiastics”; concoctions with names which, in Victorian England, essentially stood as sippable versions of religious mockery.

The port-based Bishop’s popularity and endurance through time is undoubtedly attributed to its place in A Christmas Carol. Others include the Smoking Pope (burgundy based), Smoking Cardinal (champagne based), Smoking Archbishop (claret based) and Smoking Beadle (ginger wine based).

An early version of the Smoking Bishop is found in Eliza Acton’s 1845 recipe book, Modern Cookery In All Its Branches:

Might we suggest a festive evening of Smoking Bishops as you trim your tree with our everlasting pomander ornaments? Find a recipe below courtesy of Cedric Dickens and have a cup or two of holiday cheer on us!

This was written with the help of Drink Magazine and NPR. Read more at PBS.