Captivatingly Clear

Hosts faced with the question of what drinks to pour before and after their dinner parties should never forget the noted English food-and-drink luminary Winston Churchill. At a sumptuous political luncheon, he once bowled over both top-echelon guests and stunned staff by suddenly commanding, "Take away this pudding; it has no theme."

The great European white fruit brandies do have a theme, replete with exciting prospects for both getting a party going and concluding it. The theme is Blakelike in its liquid simplicity: Certain fruits, when (continued on page 247)Captivatingly Clear(continued from page 133) converted into brandies, become more vividly fragrant and seemingly more real than in their solid state. A single sip of one of the dry white brandies leaves an incredibly luscious memory in the mouth. The fruit may be tiny black mountain cherries or heavy ripe plums, or woodland raspberries or the rich Williams pears that the Alsatians insist can only be compared to the thigh of a beautiful woman.

Anyone who's ever dipped his chunk of bread into a fondue pot knows that melted Swiss cheese doesn't become fondue unless it's blessed with its all-important splash of kirsch. Kirsch is only one tributary of a whole river of spirits known in Europe as alcools blancs or white eaux de vie. Actually, eau, rather than blanc, more accurately describes the fiery water of life. Vodka, too, is eauish-looking, but here the two rivers part company. The neutral-flavored vodka, dedicated to the proposition that liquor shall taste as little like liquor as possible, blends like a chameleon with anything from mild apple juice to the delicate herb known as Zubrovka grass. The flavors of the white brandies are so juiced up, their potential so richly bumptious, that they must be taken either straight or compounded with other ingredients--such as lime juice, bitters and heavy black rum--that set the taste buds singing.

Since fruits flourish all over the world, eau de vie men are often asked why the rare white fruit brandies seem to come only from a relatively small stamping ground in Europe--that chunk of land that includes the Alsace, the Black Forest of Germany and Switzerland. Their answer is that brandies made from the fruit grown in that part of the world are the end products of a fortunate combination of soil and climate, in the same way that cognac can be produced only in Charente and Spain's magnificent sherries only in Jerez. The white fruit brandy makers give the fruit the pampering visited upon a lovely but spoiled child. Mirabelle, for example, is an exquisite French white brandy made from the yellow plum of the same name. Although the golden plums must be ripe before they go into anything from tarts to conserves, just ripe isn't enough for the brandy-man. In the Dopff orchards in the Alsace, not a single mirabelle plum is ever picked for brandy making. The only mirabelle plums used by Dopff are those so richly ripe and heavy that they fall to the ground. Naturally, the riper the fruit, the more sugar it contains and the more alcohol in the still. But the real reason the fruit is left to drop of its own weight is that the brandy in the bottle will carry a suave fragrance so penetrating, it makes the fresh fruit pale by comparison. In the same way, the small black cherries for kirsch must be wrinkly ripe from the sun. Between 40 and 60 pounds of deeply mellow red raspberries are needed for a single bottle of framboise.

An alcool blanc is colorless because it never touches wood. Any alcohol trickling out of a still becomes yellow or brown only when it's aged in a cask. The more deeply it's colored, the less it tastes like the fresh fruit on the tree. Thus, slivovitz, an aged-in-the-wood plum brandy from central Europe, bears only the faintest resemblance to fresh plums. Age fetishists who often prejudge liquor by the layers of cobwebs on the bottle should know that the precocious white fruit brandies need only one to two years' aging. During that brief period, the white eaux de vie are held in straw-covered 30- or 50-liter glass flasks. It's a brief youth; but in that interval, they lose the initial harshness they had when they came from the still and turn satiny smooth. Some Swiss brandymen keep their kirsch in flasks from 10 to 20 years, on the theory that the alternate buffeting of cold and heat in the warehouse will make the brandy even smoother. A myopic U.S. Federal regulation, however, prevents such brandies from being marked aged.

In this country, we accept the fact that any brandy, white or brown, unites perfectly with demitasse or espresso as a post-prandial offering. But in the French-German-Swiss kirsch belt, the white eaux de vie are just as likely to be poured before the breakfast croissant and coffee as after lunch or dinner. On a Continental rail trip or motor hop, a ski party or swimming party, a walk through the mountains or picnic beside a trout stream, the fifth or flask of eau de vie is its own portable bar in a bottle. At the dinner table, flavoring a hot turtle soup, trickling down the sides of a rich coupe or setting a pan of crepes ablaze, the alcools blancs light up both table and guests. Ruddy townsmen in Zug, Switzerland, where kirsch can do no wrong, have been known to dip small cotton wads into kirsch and inhale it like snuff, to ward off the agues of winter.

A bottle of Williams pear brandy is a conversation piece in its own right. There's the plump yellow pear, contentedly submerged inside the bottle whose neck seems impassably narrow. How the pear made that journey is a tale of skill and patience akin to that of building a tall schooner in a bottle. Right after the blossoms have disappeared from the pear tree and the first tiny fruit appears, it's inserted, along with its stem, deep into a bottle, which is then anchored to a limb. Thereafter, the pear grows, on the brink of disaster every day. If the bottle isn't placed at just the right angle, rain water will slosh in and the game will have to be called before the pear's fully grown. A howling storm may send the bottle crashing to the ground. If the pear receives too much sunlight, the convergence of light through the glass results in a burnt offering without benefit of brandy. Generally, if one out of four or five pears in bottles attains adulthood, the brandyman feels happier than a partridge in a pear tree. When the ripe pear is eventually removed from the tree, safe in its glass house, the bottle is immediately filled with alcohol, to preserve the pear. Later, the alcohol is withdrawn and replaced with fragrant Williams pear brandy.

It's important to note that American bottles with the labels reading Fruit-Flavored Brandy bear practically no resemblance to the European white eaux de vie. A fruit-flavored brandy made in this country is a liqueur with a brandy base but not quite as sweet as one that bears the simple word liqueur. You may run across kirsch liqueur, a white, syrupy concoction that shouldn't be confused with the dry kirsch imported from Europe. Europeans have white eaux de vie made from the second pressing of the grapes, called marc in France and grappa in Italy. Both are usually rough enough to make the fur fly. Finally, in many European countries, the word schnapps or schnaps or snaps, however you spell it, is used to include all strong liquors, from the smoothest eau de vie to the most skull-splitting of gins. The bilingual Alsatians, whose words tumble from French to German, often turn to a bit of German verse to celebrate their white brandies: "Schnapps das war sein letztes Wort / Dann trugen ihn die Engelein fort." Any student majoring in German will tell you the lines mean that schnapps was his last word before the angels carried him away, presumably to heaven.

All of the following recipes make one drink and have been tested for their out-of-this-world effects.

[recipe_title]Plum and Tonic[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. mirabelle or quetsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced quinine water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 slice lemon[/drinkRecipe]

(Mirabelle, that white brandy made from yellow plums; quetsch, from a fragrant red plum. Both are equally smooth.) Pour mirabelle, gin and lemon juice over 3 ice cubes in a tall 10-oz. glass. Add enough quinine water to fill glass and stir lightly. Add lemon slice. Even though there's less eau de vie than gin, the plum flavor dominates this cool terrace drink.

[recipe_title]Manhattan Milano[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. sweet Italian vermouth[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 brandied cherry[/drinkRecipe]

Pour kirsch and vermouth into cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir well. Strain into prechilled oversize cocktail glass. Lower cherry into glass. Offer a dish of warm salted almonds.

[recipe_title]Kirsch Nightcap[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. ginger wine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 piece cinnamon stick[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 whole cloves[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon peel[/drinkRecipe]

Slowly heat ginger wine and water to boiling point but do not boil. Pour into mug. Add kirsch, cinnamon stick, cloves and sugar. Stir well. Twist lemon peel over drink and add to mug. A pleasant late-night relaxer any season of the year.

[recipe_title]Eaux De Vie Campari[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. framboise[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. Campari[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon grenadine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced club soda[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Orange peel[/drinkRecipe]

Pour framboise, kirsch, Campari, lemon juice and grenadine into cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir well. Strain into tall 8-oz. glass with 1 or 2 ice cubes. Add a splash of soda. Twist orange peel over drink and drop into glass. An aperitif to be savored when the slowly setting sun and the rising appetite balance each other.

[recipe_title]Dutch Pear Frappé[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/4 ozs. Williams pear brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Vandermint liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. heavy cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup finely crushed ice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Sweetened whipped cream[/drinkRecipe]

Pour pear brandy, Vandermint, heavy cream and ice into electric blender. Blend at low speed about 30 seconds. Pour into prechilled old fashioned glass. Add ice cubes, if necessary, to fill glass to rim. Top with dollop of whipped cream. A dessert cocktail designed to take the place of the usual sweet at the end of the dinner. The chocolate flavor of the Vandermint should satisfy even the most fanatic chocomaniacs in your party.

[recipe_title]Eggnog Framboise[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 egg[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. framboise[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. cognac[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. Jamaica rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 level teaspoons sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Freshly grated nutmeg[/drinkRecipe]

Pour milk, egg, framboise, cognac, rum and sugar into cocktail shaker with double the usual amount of ice. Shake dervishly. Strain into tall 16-oz. glass, or into two 8-oz. glasses if there are two of you. Sprinkle with nutmeg. The best possible inducement for bringing one willingly to the hangover brunch table.

[recipe_title]Framboise Sour[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. framboise[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. fresh lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 level teaspoons sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Few dashes bar foam[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 wedge cocktail orange[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 frozen or fresh raspberry[/drinkRecipe]

Pour framboise, lime juice, sugar and bar foam into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake about double the usual time for proper dilution. Pour into prechilled whiskey-sour glass. Garnish with cocktail orange and raspberry. Gives the word "limy" new and invigorating connotations.

[recipe_title]Cherry Planters Punch[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. dark Jamaica rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. fresh lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 generous dash Angostura bitters[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Freshly grated nutmeg[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 slice lime[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 slice orange[/drinkRecipe]

Pour kirsch, rum, lime juice, bitters and sugar into 8-oz. old fashioned glass. Stir until sugar dissolves. Fill glass with coarsely cracked ice. Stir well. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Garnish with lime slice and orange slice. A Caribbean eau de vie.

[recipe_title]Southern Raspberry[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. framboise[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Southern Comfort[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Iced club soda[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 slice lemon[/drinkRecipe]

Pour framboise, Southern Comfort, lemon juice and sugar into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into tall or squat 8-oz. glass. Add a splash of soda and enough ice cubes or cracked ice to fill glass. Float slice of lemon on top. A drink to celebrate the springtime.

[recipe_title]Sweet William[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Williams pear brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. apricot liqueur or apricot-flavored brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. heavy cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Ground cinnamon[/drinkRecipe]

Pour pear brandy, apricot liqueur and cream into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake very well. Pour into prechilled cocktail glass. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. For men, an after-dinner dessert cocktail. For women, a drink before or after anything.

Dr. Johnson, an unequivocating chap, once noted that "he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy." White fruit brandies, both in their pristine state and as the prime components in mixed drinks, may not serve as the true measure of a man, but they certainly provide an accurate barometer of his knowledge-ability as a host.