Of the 2,000 invited guests to Queen Elizabeth's funeral at Westminster Abbey, Laundress Lucca was among the chosen few. Surrounded by kings and queens with superior genes, presiding presidents, sinister prime ministers, and Earls with Pearls. Celebrities and the international jet-set from around the globe made up the rest of the lot. While Laundress Lucca was not in the Queen's inner circle, she was undoubtedly in the royal circle. With New Year's on St. Barth, February in St. Moritz, March on Canouan, and June in Monaco, Laundress Lucca gets around, and royalty follows. As the Queen's family recognized this somber day, the rest of the guests made their way to various receptions and parties around London to honor Her Majesty, The Queen.
Another busy night as Laundress Lucca hits the Savoy with Terri Cloth, followed by an after-hours party at photographer Toby Metro's SoHo loft. No secret, Toby's a good shag - he clears his diary every time Laundress Lucca flits to town. He's just back from Crete, where he was shooting the exclusive island enclave of Lilly Li and Steve Chaste. The spread is over the top faux Greek Isle and will debut in the March issue of AD with a snippet on page 4 of The Times. Picture Caesars Palace meets Disneyland Hotel divided by Acropolis rubble. According to Terri, the spread will sit vacantly but one week a year. Not a surprise, given the audacious design.
The next morning, as Toby delivers espresso in bed, Laundress Lucca can't help but notice her clothes strewn about the room, stained with the libation of the previous day and night. The Queen's favorite cocktail: a Dubonnet and Gin with a lemon twist.
Whilst simple ingredients indeed, perhaps the red wine in the Dubonnet creates yet another laundry crisis that must be dealt with immediately upon return. Once the stain is treated properly, it's time to walk the messy heap to your front porch for your weekly laundry fluff and fold pick-up and delivery order from Pacifica-Laundry.com. Your fascinator goes straight to the dry cleaner.
How to remove Dubonnet stains from clothing.
Once stateside and safely back in San Diego, the severity of the stains speak volumes. Some words to the wise; don't wait too long, don't scrub it, and never apply heat.
This procedure is for stains that have dried and are several days old.
Mix three parts hydrogen peroxide and one part Dawn dishwashing liquid and apply to the Dubonnet stain.
Let it sit for an hour to work its magic.
Then, blot clean before attempting to thoroughly wash out the mixture.
Check before drying to ensure the stain is completely removed. If it's not, repeat as necessary.
Now, if you are lucky enough to be close to home when the destructive stain occurs, the following method works well if the fabric is still wet.
Cover the stain in white vinegar, which neutralizes purple and red pigments.
Immediately after applying the vinegar, rub in Dawn dishwashing liquid.
Then launder in hot water, and the stain should lift.
While Dubonnet and Gin was the cocktail du jour for the Queen's remembrance, her favorite tea-time morsel appeared in the form of tray-passed cucumber-tea sandwiches at The Savoy. Of course, Terri was her usual self, parading a 19-year-old trophy boy around the reception. Guess they both made out on this trip. Terri promised to share her sister's recipe for cucumber sandwiches upon her return to San Diego.
Cakes, biscuits, scones, filled the elegant crystal, silver, and china settings at formal-tea time. The cucumber sandwich is what you would call a "working royal" of afternoon sovereign delights. It appears on all menus consistently and graciously.
White Bread - cut off crusts and divide the slices into thirds for a rectangular presentation.
Butter - Coat each slice of bread with butter.
Salt - Give the top of the butter a good salting. We are talking about white bread, butter, and cucumber - the combination is awfully dull, so don't be afraid to season liberally.
Cucumber - Follow with peeled and seeded cucumber slices and more seasoning. Simple, delicious, and refreshing - no garnish necessary.
These sandwiches pair just as well with Veuve Cliquot as they do with Dubonnet and Gin. And yes, tea works too.
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