During the decades of the Roche Harbor Lime and Cement history, between 1886 and 1944, John S. McMillin had a robust business and two fine sons eager to take over when their controlling father was ready to retire.
Fred, McMillin’s oldest son and heir apparent was well liked in the tiny mining town. McMillin’s bookkeeper was Ada Bean, a woman in her early thirties that kept to herself most of the time and was considered by the town folk to be a spinster. It was not uncommon to see her working late into the night in the tiny office located in the top floor of the McMillin’s estate, now the resort’s Executive Room.
On one of these late nights, angry voices could be heard coming from the office balcony, and the townspeople could make out the voice of a man. The next morning Ada was found dead by one of the house servants. She had hanged herself from the chandelier. The company physician, Doc Capron, was urgently called to the office by McMillin and upon examination, the shocking discovery of Ada’s hidden pregnancy was revealed.
Soon after her burial, a sound of a baby crying was heard coming from McMillin’s office and the rumors of a ghost that people swore was the late Ada Bean. Rumors quckly spreading about the identity of the angry male voice.
McMillin, concerned by falling morale and loss of production, worked to staunch the rumors, but they continued until one sober morning when Fred confessed to his father that the voice heard that ill-fated night was his, and the fight that ensued was over Ada’s pregnancy with his child.
McMillin agreed to bury his unborn grandchild in the family mausoleum, and shortly after the sounds of baby crying ceased. Fred died a few years later of unknown cause, and John S. McMillin never recovered from the incident. Ada is still seen haunting the resort during the late evenings and enjoys playing tricks on the guests that stay in the hotel.
While none of us know the real story, we celebrate her memory with this cocktail and if you are lucky enough to get a peek at her ghostly appearance, don’t blame it on the bartender.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Spy Hop gin (distilled on San Juan Island with local botanicals).
- ¼ ounce yellow chartreuse
- ¼ ounce Triple Sec
- ½ ounce lemon ginger syrup
- ½ ounce fresh lime juice
Make the Drink
Fill a mixing glass with ice and pour over gin, yellow chartreuse, triple sec, lemon-ginger syrup, and fresh lime juice. Place the top on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 20 seconds or until the shaker is frosty on the outside. Strain into a cocktail glass then garnish with a lime wheel and a brandied Luxardo cherry
We’re thirsty for more recipes, so send yours on to editorial@nwyachting.com for a chance to appear in the next issue.
