又中又英——Stomach-churning

　　Most people shun (avoid) alcoholic drinks in the morning. Some have a beer or wine with lunch, especially if they are on vacation or during business lunches. I enjoy a glass of white wine with lunch only if I am on holiday. I sometimes have a glass at business lunches if the host insists. It is stomach-churning for me to even think of having an alcoholic drink in the morning. If something is stomach-churning it means it is extremely unpleasant and makes people feel sick. But some people actually enjoy a particular alcoholic drink in the morning. This cocktail drink is called Bloody Mary. Before reunification I sometimes had it at lunch with senior British government officials. But I have not had a Bloody Mary in years.
　　In the US a Bloody Mary is a common "hair of the dog" drink, which means an alcoholic drink some people believe can cure hangovers. A hangover is a feeling of illness after drinking too much. People who believe a Bloody Mary can cure a hangover drink it in the morning or early afternoon. Unlike a Martini or Manhattan, which combine different types of alcohol, the main ingredient of a Bloody Mary is tomato juice. In a classic Bloody Mary, two ounces of vodka, four ounces of tomato juice, two small drops of Tabasco sauce, two small drops of Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of lemon juice, a little celery salt and black pepper are shaken in ice with a shaker.
　　This is strained into a tall glass with celery salt on the rim. A celery stick longer than the glass can be added. A French bartender claimed to have invented the drink in a Paris bar in 1921. It is not known how it got to be called Bloody Mary. Some believe it was named after Queen Mary I of England. She was called Bloody Mary by her Protestant opponents after she executed hundreds of them. It could have been named Bloody Mary simply because of the colour of tomato juice!
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　　許多人都避免（shun）在早上喝酒精類飲品。有些人會在午膳的時候喝杯啤酒或葡萄酒，尤其是當他們正在度假，又或出席商務午餐會之時。我只有在放假時，才會喜歡在午膳期間喝杯白酒；有時出席商務午餐，在主辦人的強烈要求之下，我也會喝上一杯。早上喝酒這回事，光想想也令我感到stomach-churning——若某事是stomach-churning，意即它極度令人厭惡、噁心。但有些人確實享受早上喝某杯特定的酒，這杯雞尾酒就叫「血腥瑪麗」（Bloody Mary）。香港回歸以前，我有時會在與英籍政府高官共晉午膳時喝這杯酒，但在那以後我已有多年沒喝過血腥瑪麗（Bloody Mary）了。
　　在美國，血腥瑪麗（Bloody Mary）是一杯 "hair of the dog" 飲品，意思是有些人相信這杯帶酒精的「狗毛」飲品能解宿醉（hangovers）。A hangover是喝過量而令人不適的宿醉。那些相信血腥瑪麗（Bloody Mary）可以解宿醉（hangover）的人，會在早上或午初時份喝它。血腥瑪麗（Bloody Mary）的主要成分是番茄汁，而不像馬天尼又或曼哈頓般，由不同種類的酒精混合而成。一杯經典的血腥瑪麗（Bloody Mary），含有兩安士伏特加、四安士茄汁、兩小滴辣椒仔辣汁、兩小滴李派林喼汁、幾滴檸檬汁、少許芹鹽和黑椒粉，再加冰放在搖酒器中搖晃。
　　混合物會經過濾而倒進高杯中，杯邊會有芹鹽，另外也可以加一條長過杯身的西芹。一名法籍調酒師聲稱自己在一九二一年於巴黎一間酒吧發明了這杯飲品。現在也不知道它是如何得到「血腥瑪麗」（Bloody Mary）一名。有些人相信它是以英格蘭女皇瑪麗一世命名，她處死數以百計的新教教徒後，就被這些反對者稱為「血腥瑪麗」（Bloody Mary）。不過，這杯酒被稱為血腥瑪麗（Bloody Mary），可能純粹因為番茄汁的顏色吧！
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中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧