Reading of A Christmas Carol
at Cottonwood Mansion left most of us inquiring, "What is Smoking Bishop??" (Read by Rt. Rev. D. Ralph Bishop Spence ~ the casting by Catherine Stidsen.)
The drink is hot, spiced wine similar to wassail ~ something like a hot sangria, scented with oranges and infused with port.

Thank you Bishop Spence, Anglican Bishop of Niagara, retired, for your enlivened rendition of The Christmas Carol script. With thanks to Catherine Stidsen for photo.

At the very end of the beloved Charles Dickens holiday classic A Christmas Carol, a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge and his long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit share an oddly named libation:

"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!" Source: CBC

Photo: Deanna and Jill Serving Guests