Editor’s Note: Drink Week rolls on with Veggie Bouillion star (see Sean’s Three Things Thursday on Punk Domestics!) Gina. She has a two-part piece on drinks, first up, liquor & drinks inspired by Downton Abbey & Boardway Empire. Tomorrow Gina will treat us to a non-corn syrup homemade grenedine & black current syrup for all your drink needs. Gina is a keeper right?! -Christina
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Cocktail culture has not been on my radar pretty much ever. I’m not a big drinker – I’d throw over drinks for dessert any day. However, my inner cocktail geek was released a while back when I was watching Downton Abbey and Boardwalk Empire. I realized that Downton was going to be heading to New York, in the early 20s no less, and Boardwalk is already nearby, and in the same time period. I began to wonder what sorts of drinks these characters might come across at parties and speakeasies, so off to Google I went.
Weird liquor number one: Pecsetes Barack Palinka by Zwack, aka Hungarian apricot brandy.
This is not the usual sticky liqueur that most people imagine when they hear “apricot brandy”. Apricot brandy was used in a good number of old time cocktails, but the general consensus is that it was the very dry eau-de-vie type, and not the syrupy stuff. Dry apricot brancy can be hard to track down, after loads of frustrating encounters with local liquor stores, I ended up getting mine shipped from Hi Time Wine Cellars in California. There are a few brands of dry apricot brandy with Marie Brizard Apry and Blume Marillen getting good reviews, but I found I really liked Zwack’s Pecsetes Barack Palinka. It works out to be about 86 proof, and has the nice aroma and flavor of ripe apricots without any cloying sweetness. Good stuff!
Weird liquor number two: PiscoPisco is a brandy made from grapes and grape must. There’s a big rivalry between Peru and Chile as to who actually is the inventor and arbiter of All Things Pisco, but I have given my attention to Peru, since they do not dilute or alter the pisco in any way. From start to finish, there’s a Serious Business commitment to small batches, high quality control, and consistency. Pisco was much easier to find locally, I had great luck at Empire Wine in Colonie, where I found five different brands of pisco on the shelf the day I went in – both Peruvian and Chilean. I chose Barsol brand, which is a primero quebranta style pisco. Oh what a good choice it was! This is my new favorite *anything*. I love the very subtle notes (quebranto style is the least aromatic variety), and it’s another dry clear liquor that’s fairly high proof at 80 or so. My husband’s new malapropism for pisco is “percocet”…
THE DRINK RECIPES
- Crushed ice
- Cocktail shaker
- Shot measure
- Measuring spoons
- Chilled glass(es)
DRINK #1: LEAPING FROG – from The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock, 1917
Put ice in shaker, and pour in the apricot brandy and lime juice. Shake well, strain into chilled glass and serve. This is one tart drink, and it’s not for sissies either as it’s got some kick to it from the Palinka. If you like sweeter things, this one isn’t for you, but if you kind of want a little bite, give it a try.
DRINK #2 PISCO SOUR
There are lots of different versions, this is what I found tastiest to my palate. It could also work with a good quality sour mix (Wendy had a ‘sour mix’ recipe on Tuesday’s post {Drink week} Fun with Limes).
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Pisco
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2-3/4 teaspoon simple syrup
1 Tablespoon pasteurized egg white
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Put ice in shaker, add Pisco, lime juice, syrup and egg white, cover and shake well. Strain into chilled glass, and when nice and foamy, garnish with a dash of Angostura Bitters. This is less bitter than the Leaping Frog, and has a lovely rich foamy top that makes the whole thing feel fancy. This is one I was wishing for the other day during a particularly hot and humid spell, it’s very bright and refreshing.
DRINK #3 PISCO-APRICOT TROPICAL
My own adaptation, a little less bitter than the original recipes, but not super sweet. This was my husband’s favorite. The Pisco-Apricot Tropical was made for Charles Baker Jr. when he visited Peru in the 1920s, the recipe I used as a basis for my own was found on Cocktail Virgin
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Pisco (Bartol pisco is less aromatic, you may want to try to find Macchu Pisco for a different take)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz pineapple juice
1/3 oz Pecsetes Barack Palinka (or other dry apricot brandy or eau-de-vie)
Dash angostura bitters
Put ice in shaker, add pisco, lime juice, pineapple juice, apricot brandy and a dash of angostura bitters. Shake well, strain and serve in chilled glass.
DRINK #4: THE DULCHIN
Put ice in shaker, add all above ingredients, shake well, and pour into chilled glass.
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