As we toast to 20 years of Marinalife, we celebrate with a champagne cocktail mixed into a delicious blend that captures the colors of the sea. Perfect to commemorate special occasions or impress your crew while out on the water, The Lady Joy is a tasty fusion of lemon-flavored rum, Blue Curaçao and champagne that leaves a fizzy orange flavor on your tongue. Pop some bubbly and say cheers to 20 years!
This cocktail’s origin remains a mystery, but Lady Joy is no stranger to Baltimore. The cobblestone streets of this seaside town cover a peninsula that was once a major shipbuilding center and port of entry for immigrants. With 18th century buildings that once harbored saloons, boarding homes and brothels, some say drunken sailors’ spirits linger in today’s bars and restaurants.
The story of Lady Joy began one stormy night in the city’s historic Fells Point neighborhood when a seafaring man encountered a mysterious woman at a bar. Christoph, a traveling mariner, stopped at Fells Point when bad weather interrupted his travels down the Chesapeake Bay. He docked at Henderson’s Wharf at the end of Fell Street near the strip of bars and shops.
Thirsty for a cold brew, he wandered into one of the oldest establishments, The Waterfront Hotel. He walked upstairs to the second-floor bar, a dimly lit room with an antique brick fireplace and a view of Baltimore Harbor. After a bartender handed him a local beer, he sat at a table by the window and stared out into the Bay, waiting for the storm to pass.
“This is the worst beer I’ve ever had,” he said aloud after taking a gulp.
“Why don’t you try this drink instead?” said a soft voice behind him. He turned to see a beautiful woman with bright blue eyes and fiery red hair. She held out a champagne flute filled with blue liquid and suggested, “Taste this — if you’re willing to try something different.”
Unable to resist, Christoph accepted the drink and took a sip. A delicious mix of sweet orange and lemon with a distinct kick graced his taste buds. “I’ve never tasted anything like this,” he exclaimed.
“Please finish it,” she said. “It’s my specialty, a lovely cocktail made of lemon rum, Blue Curaçao and champagne —
a perfect drink. What better way to celebrate life than with champagne?”
Christoph thanked the woman, asked her to join him and offered to buy her another drink. As he pulled up a chair, he glanced out the window and noticed the storm had stopped and the sky looked clear. When he turned back around, the woman had suddenly vanished into thin air.
He searched every floor of the building, but she was nowhere to be found. When he asked the bartenders about the woman with the red hair and blue drink, nobody recalled serving her.
“Her description sounds like that old tale about the red-haired lady who haunts Fells Point,” said a salty old man sipping whiskey neat. “People say she was kidnapped decades ago and held hostage aboard The Lady Joy. She jumped into the Bay to escape and was never seen again.”
Christoph was intrigued but eager to set sail while the weather was good. As he pulled away from the dock and gazed into the dark blue waters, the taste of the luscious cobalt-colored drink lingered on his tongue. And he would forever remember the night in Baltimore when he encountered his first Lady Joy.
The Lady Joy
Ingredients:
3 oz. Bacardi Limón
3 oz. Blue Curaçao
6 oz. champagne
1 twist of lemon
Directions:
Pour 3 oz. Bacardi Limón and 3 oz. Blue Curaçao over ice, shake and strain into champagne flute. Fill remaining contents with champagne. Twist of lemon to garnish. Serve, cheers and enjoy!
