Raspberry Delight - a Sufganiyot-Inspired Cocktail for Hanukkah
Followers of the Gregorian calendar look upon the beginning of Hanukkah as a random event every year. We know it typically starts in late November or December, and can range from the earliest parts of the season to sharing space with Christmas in some years. Based on the odd overlaps of the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars, a Thanksgiving with latkes is not out of the question. The very short version of the holiday is celebrating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was taken over and turned into a temple to Zeus (complete with sacrifices) by Antiochus IV, not known for his kindness to the cultures he conquered. After a long and turbulent occupation (and an incredibly heroic act by Judith), the Temple was reclaimed and had to be rededicated. This story is not canon in the Torah, but it is mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible. They lit the oil for the ceremony, expecting it to last only a day based on their reserves. The oil lasted for eight days, and the Hebrews celebrated it ever since by cooking everything they could find in oil, dining on cheese, and trading pieces of gold (now small gifts, usually gold foil over chocolate coins known as "gelt") during the celebration. It begins every year on the 25th of Kislev, and ends on the 2nd or 3rd of Tevet (Kislev can have an extra day in it). The date shifts because of the aforementioned odd overlaps; the Hebrew calendar is based on lunar and solar cycles.
The main idea to be pulled out of this is the importance of oil in this ceremony. The oil that was used in Biblical times for lamps, especially in the Middle East, was olive oil. Olive trees were common, and the spread of Greek culture through the region made it very easy to obtain. Olive oil has been a staple of the Mediterranean diet for millennia, with evidence of it being used as early as 6000 B.C. Commonality and versatility are traits that made it highly desired as a trade good as well. Anyone who has had food from the region knows that olive oil is found in everything. The Romans were the first to fry foods, and the oil they used was olive oil. The taste for the earthy oil flowed all over the world as the Romans spread their culture, then those cultures spread out in exploration and colonization. It was brought to America as a culinary piece of Jewish culture and as part of early cleansing rituals. Over time, olive oil has made its way to every corner of the planet. It has been infused into China in the last decade as that country becomes more health conscious, and realized it can plant olive trees successfully. There is almost nothing olive oil can’t do, or a cuisine it will not fit into.
Nothing except cocktails. Oil mixes with water about as well as it mixes with alcohol. The fact that most alcohols are diluted from their original strength to between 40 and 50% ABV does not help the pairing. Oil is nonpolar and water is polar, meaning the two will never mesh well together. Adding oil to a cocktail without the aid of science will just add a sheet of oil to the top of a drink. It is not an appealing look. There are some liqueurs on the market that do have fragrant oils suspended in them. Absinthe and Ouzo are great examples, as is any liquor that turns cloudy when you add water to it. There are, however, ways to get the two to work together long enough to make a good cocktail.
EMULSIFIERS
While they may not work together on a molecular level, there are liquids and additives that can bridge the gap and keep them friendly for the length of drinking a cocktail. You don’t even have to special order anything from a molecular gastronomy set. Egg white is the most common binder mentioned when mixologists are integrating olive oil. It is used in a wide variety of drinks already, making it a very familiar tool. Treat the amount of olive oil you would add like it was an egg yolk; a little dab will do you. A quarter ounce (7 mL) is enough to get the job done. Honey is another binder that will help keep the oil and alcohol in a warm embrace. Honey syrup, unless it is very thick (3:1 honey to water), will not do the trick. Fortunately, this is another instance where a little amount will solve the problem. In the few experiments I conducted, the honey was not a major flavor component.
FAT WASHING
Bacon is not the only thing that produces a delicious, fatty remnant, but it's obviously not the best option for Hanukkah cocktails. Olive oil can also be washed into an alcohol base in a similar manner described in many books and articles that would only suggest bacon. The process is roughly this:
- Add .5 oz (15 mL) of oil for every 8.5 oz. (250 mL) of alcohol you are infusing. Make sure you are pouring this mixture into a clean glass.
- Shake the mixture well, then allow to infuse at room temperature for four to five hours. I shook it periodically, to make sure as much oil as possible was infused into the spirit.
- Place the mixture into the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until there is a layer of fat on top of the liquid. It may not be a solid later. I found that gin and vodka did not layer as nicely as rum and tequila.
- Double strain out the solidified oil through a cheesecloth and strainer. This will get all the little bits of oil that even a fine strainer may allow to pass.
- If you are using the original bottle to store it, pour the liquid back into the clean bottle. If you are using the vessel you infused in, wipe out the excess oil and dry it out before you pour it back in.
- Store and enjoy!
From what I have tried, this will work with most oils. The resulting finished mix is a little cloudy, and the mouth feel is thicker, but there is less worry about the oil separating from the alcohol. There will be a little bit of oil that escapes to the top, but not a highly noticeable amount. Bacon fat does the same thing. The oil dulls the alcohol burn as a side effect, so while it may not taste like it has a lot of liquor in it, rest assured it does.
This staple of the holy areas of the world (the Middle East and Mediterranean) adds some earthiness to any cocktail you are going to use it in. It is a flavor unto itself, something you really can’t replicate. Its rich flavors and ability to turn down the bite in the alcohol lends to adding more herbs and spices to cocktails to build up the flavor. Gin is a very popular target for olive oil washing for many bartenders, since it already has that herbal quality and we all know olives pair well with a classic gin Martini. Of course, this called for an experiment.
THE EXPERIMENT
With the relation of oil to Hanukkah, I worked out a cocktail that was generally kosher (I’ll point out what is not) and tasted good with olive oil. I kept in mind the fact that sufganiyot/sufganiyah (a jelly donut covered in powder sugar) is a traditional treat at this time of year, and went to the kitchen to play. What I came up with is the Raspberry Delight.
Raspberry Delight
1 oz./ 30 mL Vodka (infused with olive oil if you choose) 1 oz./ 30 mL Raspberry Liqueur (such as 2015 NY International Spirits Competition bronze medal winner Gustav Arctic Raspberry) or see kosher options below* .25 oz. / 7 mL Honey .25 oz. / 7 mL Quality Balsamic Vinegar .25 oz. / 7 mL Olive Oil** 5 medium Raspberries Glass: Cocktail Garnish: Raspberries
Place three of the raspberries in your shaking tin. Pour in the ingredients, then add ice. Shake hard for 30-60 seconds. This will blend the olive oil in well and muddle the raspberries at the same time. Double strain into a cocktail glass, add the last two raspberries on a skewer as a garnish. Serve and enjoy!
*A word about kosher spirits: To keep this cocktail kosher, use DeKuyper Razzamatazz or Pallini Raspicello for the raspberry component and a grain or potato vodka - all of which fit the guidelines.
** - If you use olive infused vodka, leave out the olive oil. The olive oil flavor will already be in the cocktail.
I whipped up the cocktail two ways: one with an olive oil infused vodka, and one with vodka and olive oil. The olive oil-infused vodka definitely stayed more pleasing to the eye and held its consistency better, but the olive oil taste was faint. It was much more raspberry forward. Adding olive oil to the mixture gives it much more of an olive oil flavor, though not unpleasantly. The flavors all work really well together in the glass. In this version of the cocktail the oil separates more, and more visibly. There is a film on the side of the glass as you drink, and the oil in the libation is visible. Like looking at Italian dressing as it separates. The dark color definitely hides it well. Both are tasty, just in different ways.
The fruits of the year’s long struggle of the Hebrews against the Greeks have passed down dividends for centuries. The rededication of the temple, and the miracle of the long burning olive oil, has led to a celebration that takes place the world over. This holiday will be coming soon, with fried foods, little gifts, and good company to celebrate it with. With a little bit of chemistry and the right liquors, you change the drinks you imbibe as well. Hanukkah Sameach!