Smoking Bishop Recipe (2024)

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tabby

i cant believe no one has commented on this recipe. my husband made this for our holiday celebration last night. we only used 3 oranges but they were large ones. let me tell you. it was absolutely delicious and perfect for a winter night. we will definitely be including this as part of our punch rotation.

Bob

I made my shopping list for this and I'm glad I read all of the steps. Step 4 mentions cinnamon sticks which are absent from the ingredients list.

Tooty

I love, love Dicken's A Christmas Carol. I read it every holiday season. I have always wondered what a bowl of Smoking Bishop was. I wanted to make this, but it is too much for two and there are no parties with Covid. Decided to make the wine and fruit part as a base and store it in glass in the fridge. Then all we have to do is add about an equal amount of port, some cinnamon and cardamom, and heat up an amount that suits us for the evening. Delicious! Will make this for friends next year.

Fay

FANTASTIC. I made it exactly as directed, with the exception that we added the port in the cup (roughly equal parts port and wine), as we had some who didn't want as much alcohol. Both the port and non-port drinkers declared it to be NEXT LEVEL. I've made a lot of mulled wine over the years, and this preparation is definitely worth it. We are all Dickens nerds over here, so we will definitely be making it again at Christmas, reading the lovely passage as we sip!

bob

We make this every year, put I dont use sugar. great drink.

Cat

I need an idea for how to keep this hot during a party. Could this be made in a slow-cooker?

pickle pickle

Final steps Threw some extra cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks in, got it nice and smoking and served it up.Reviews are very positive and got asked for the recipe. Maybe a bit on the tart side, but you could increase sugar too taste. Would make again, with a bit more sugar or a different port.

pickle pickle

Picking up a day later Cut and juices the oranges - surprised the wine didn’t soak in more? Hmm may have used to shallow a bowl, but not much color.Using a half lemon and adding the port after straining Tasted and getting a bit more citrus bitter finish. Maybe sugar was a little light.

Ann M

I make this every year. I use navel oranges, cinnamon stick instead of cardamon. Some years it sits for 12 hours some only 4 hours. Made with cheap port and mediocre wine it tastes delicious.

pickle pickle

Building this one as I make it- hilariously fussy ingredient list but missing the cinnamon stick and lacking detail in key areas - wine - not too dry and not too sweet? So wine? No varietal recommendation a standard identification of wine huh. Used a 2018 red blend from central coast of California.- no luck on Seville oranges so used the naval, no luck on obscure sugars or ports so used coconut sugar and warrre warrior port - a tawny would be fine I suppose -

Fay

FANTASTIC. I made it exactly as directed, with the exception that we added the port in the cup (roughly equal parts port and wine), as we had some who didn't want as much alcohol. Both the port and non-port drinkers declared it to be NEXT LEVEL. I've made a lot of mulled wine over the years, and this preparation is definitely worth it. We are all Dickens nerds over here, so we will definitely be making it again at Christmas, reading the lovely passage as we sip!

danny kahn

First, seville oranges don't appear to exist in the US. I made it as directed with naval plus a lemon. We enjoyed it, but it's a bit sweet for my taste, and the flavors don't meld together well. I love the historical nature of the recipe, but I suspect there are better hot wine drinks.

maureen

Any recommendations on the type and/or brand of wine?

bob

Ruby port from Portugal and add any red wine.

Sandra

Absolutely delicious. Note that the directions call for a cinnamon stick but that’s not listed in the ingredients.

Mel K

There are hundreds of mulled wine recipes out there, but if you have the time, make this one. The first time I made it was for book club, and now I get requests for it every winter.

Tooty

I love, love Dicken's A Christmas Carol. I read it every holiday season. I have always wondered what a bowl of Smoking Bishop was. I wanted to make this, but it is too much for two and there are no parties with Covid. Decided to make the wine and fruit part as a base and store it in glass in the fridge. Then all we have to do is add about an equal amount of port, some cinnamon and cardamom, and heat up an amount that suits us for the evening. Delicious! Will make this for friends next year.

Bob

I made this for Christmas and it is absolutely amazing. The cardamon really adds a special flavor. This may become a holiday tradition.

Bob

I made my shopping list for this and I'm glad I read all of the steps. Step 4 mentions cinnamon sticks which are absent from the ingredients list.

tabby

i cant believe no one has commented on this recipe. my husband made this for our holiday celebration last night. we only used 3 oranges but they were large ones. let me tell you. it was absolutely delicious and perfect for a winter night. we will definitely be including this as part of our punch rotation.

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Smoking Bishop Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Smoking Bishop made of? ›

Smoking Bishop was made from port, red wine, lemons or Seville oranges, sugar, and spices such as cloves. The citrus fruit was roasted to caramelise it and the ingredients then warmed together.

Why is it called Smoking Bishop? ›

There is thought to be an element of anti-Catholicism in the irreverent names but there is no clear evidence for the associations. The smoking part of the name probably stems from the steam rising from the cup of hot wine. The bishop part may refer to the purple colour pf port reflecting the robes worn by bishops.

What is a smoking bowl of bishop? ›

In a final scene from A Christmas Carol, Scrooge turns to Bob Cratchit, his belittled employee, with new eyes and invites him to be merry over a bowl of Smoking Bishop—the word “bishop” was 19th-century code for port—which referred to a roasted clove and orange-infused port punch, warmed and mulled with baking spices ...

What does Smoking Bishop taste like? ›

It's a variation of mulled wine but has a more mild spice flavor than other mulled wines, with more of a focus on the balance between the spice and the bitter orange flavor. Smoking Bishop is a member of a group of drinks called the Ecclesiastics that became popular in the 19th century.

Did Dickens drink alcohol? ›

Dickens was “a merry drinker” who spent the equivalent of £15,000 a year in today's money on alcohol and who believed that people should be allowed their enjoyment, Litvack said. “[At parties] he loved to spike his punch and see what ehect that had on his guests. He certainly enjoyed a drink.

How were they prepared cooked Smoking Bishop? ›

Roast the clove-studded fruits in the oven for an hour, then transfer them to a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the sugar and the red wine (do not add the port yet) to the bowl. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm spot in the kitchen for at least 12 hours, and up to 24.

What is the punch in A Christmas Carol? ›

Dickens was known to have a fondness for sweet alcoholic punches, which were quite popular at the time. One such drink, a mulled wine punch known as a Smoking Bishop, is mentioned in his timeless holiday classic, A Christmas Carol.

What kind of pudding in Christmas carol? ›

The idea of plum pudding as a Christmas dish rose to prominence during the Victorian period, as seen in A Christmas Carol (published in 1843) shown in this illustration of the Ghost of Christmas Present from the first edition.

What is a Christmas bowl in A Christmas Carol? ›

It is a type of mulled wine or punch and was popular in Victorian times around Christmas time. Both men, especially Scrooge, look happy about their encounter given the distance between the two men and how the share the table together so closely.

What Catholic saints smoked a pipe? ›

Joseph of Cupertino, St. John Vianney, Pope St. John XXIII and St. Teresa of Avila all purportedly enjoyed tobacco.

What is the benefit of a long stem pipe? ›

The long stem serves to keep smoke and heated tobacco away from the face and allow for unimpeded views.

What kind of pudding did Mrs. Cratchit make? ›

Cratchit's confectionery success, the figgy (also known as the plum or Christmas) pudding has a long history.

Why does Stinking Bishop smell? ›

The distinctive odour comes from the ripening process, during which the cheese is rind-washed: it is immersed in perry (the traditional pear cider of the region) made from the local Stinking Bishop pear – from which the cheese gets its name – every four weeks while it matures.

What does Scrooge drink in A Christmas Carol? ›

At the end of Charles Dickens' 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge and his long-abused employee, Bob Cratchit, enjoy a mug of Smoking Bishop. It's a drink loaded with English history, politics and class identity.

What did Charles Dickens think of Christmas? ›

Charles Dickens is famous for popularising many of our modern Christmas traditions. But he was also only too aware that it can be a time of suffering, especially after he lost his own sister in 1848. That same year, he penned his fifth and final Christmas book, The Haunted Man.

What is cigarette smoke made out of? ›

The gas phase of cigarette smoke includes nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), CO, acetaldehyde, methane, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), nitric acid, acetone, acrolein, ammonia, methanol, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrocarbons, gas phase nitrosamines, and carbonyl compounds (Borgerding and Klus 2005; Rodgman and ...

What are they drinking in A Christmas Carol? ›

At the end of Charles Dickens' 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge and his long-abused employee, Bob Cratchit, enjoy a mug of Smoking Bishop. It's a drink loaded with English history, politics and class identity.

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