Posted by Terry Doyle on November 18, 1997 at 11:35:56:
In Reply to: Re: What is Blue Ruin? posted by John Robinson on November 17, 1997 at 23:38:24:
: : : Many a time in many a book, Vance's characters sit down to some serious drinking and call for a jug of "Blue Ruin."
: : : I've seen this in quite an early work -- The Five Gold Bands, I think -- and I've seen it in one of the Araminta books, so he's been using it as a stage prop for roughly fifty years.
: : : Has anyone ever run across a drink in real life called "Blue Ruin" or is Vance just having us on? If someone has heard of it in a non-Vance context, what's the formula?
: : In Roget's Thesaurus 1911 version (online) blue ruin is listed under the catagory "Drunkenness". drink; alcoholic drinks; blue ruin*, grog, port wine; punch, punch bowl; etc etc etc for a full page. Haven't been able to figure out what the asterick means but it seems to be in a sub group with grog and port wine both of which were drunk by British sailors of the 19th century.
: : Vance was in MM so blue ruin probably some sailor drink.
: : John Robinson
: To correct, Vance was a sailor, not sure if he was MM. Also I think 5 Gold Bands was published 1953 44 years ago not 50. I think it was the first Vance I ever read (part of an Ace Double with another Vance - maybe Dragon Master's??) Don't make me older than I am!!
: John
www.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin
According to Bibliomania/Reference/PhraseAndFable web page:
"Blue Ruin Gin: Called *blue* for its color and *ruin* for its effects." and so simply gin by itself.
Turns out to also be:
1. a rock band from NY,
2. part of a Tom Wait lyric (9th and Hennepin) "'til you're full of rag water and bitters and blue ruin" (yum!),
3. in an Edgar Allen Poe story, "King Pest" where a shipmate has stowed a bottle of blue ruin,
4. the name of an obscure literary magazine (really, I am NOT making this up),
5. the title of a book on the 1919 World Series,
6. a brewery in Austin, TX,
7. title of an old Regency Romance novel, and
8. refernced in an 1832 story.
However, best of all is (I believe) part of a biblical reference: "thunder, lightening, and blue ruin". Any biblical, Vance scholars want to trace that one? A diminishly small group, I admit.
Terry