Libations Fit for a King

Libations Fit for a King by Saralyn Richard

Who’s up for some amazing libations at an exclusive party?

The dictionary definition of “libation” is “a drink poured out as a ritual offering to a deity.” (Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press). Sometimes libations were given as an offering to a god or spirit, often in memory of those who have passed on. Pouring libations was a common practice in many religions of antiquity, and it continues to be performed in various cultures today.

This is very likely where the ceremony of toasting before drinking alcoholic beverages derives from.

In Murder in the One Percent, the characters attend a birthday party at a mansion in the horse country of Pennsylvania. That Saturday night, they dine from an elegant nine-course menu with wines selected for their best years and perfectly matched to each course.

We would expect nothing less from the wealthy and powerful hosts in the one percent, right?

Just for fun, I priced the wines being served, using 2018 and 2024 market quotes. Following are the prices per bottle:

Champagne Krug, 2000  $225 /$597

Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, 1990  $350 /$1929

Sauternes Chateau d’Yquem, 1990   $265 /$511

Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, 2006  $125 /$235

Richebourg Leroy, 1991                  $3122 /$7957

Chateau Lafitte Rothschild, 1982    $2400 /$3625

Graham’s Vintage Port                     $139 /$159

Hennessy Paradia Cognac               $693 /$1360

That adds up to a hefty $7319 /$16,373 for just one bottle of each. Knowing these characters as I do, they would consume at least two and probably three bottles during the party, bringing the cost of libations to a whopping $21,957 /$49,119.

No wonder the guests had such a fun time at that dinner party! They ate and drank like royalty and went to bed happy. Too bad the next day, one of them woke up dead.

Saralyn Richard writes about the one percent in the Detective Parrott mystery series:  MURDER IN THE ONE PERCENT, A PALETTE FOR LOVE AND MURDER, CRYSTAL BLUE MURDER, and MURDER OUTSIDE THE BOX. Neither she nor Detective Parrott occupy a place in the one percent, however.