Souped-Up Soups

We're Not about to insist that cocktail soups will make your reputation as an accomplished chef or collector of beautiful women. But what they can do, certainly, is add a dollop of intrigue to an ofttime pedestrian first course and get your brunch, lunch or dinner started on a raffish note--which is not a bad return on something really quite simple. Before going further, let's make one thing perfectly clear--as The Man says. Cocktail soups have nothing in common with such effete conceits as the suggestion of claret in the consommé nor the glimmer of sherry in the lobster bisque. They're racy, ribald mugs or bowls of soup, generously splashed with liquor. The smack of the spirit and its assertive (continued on page 204) Souped-Up Soups (continued from page 155) flavor and aroma become an integral part of the dish.

If you see cocktail soups as some kind of Alice B. Toklas brownie ploy--a way to get your friends sneakily snockered-- you're missing an essential point. Soupedup soups are their own reward. A lashing of gin, whiskey, brandy or rum, for example, breathes life, savor and verve into the most banal canned products.

Cocktail soups also have particular appeal for people who are long on taste but short on time. They can serve as a combination aperitif and first course at a luncheon or dinner--especially if you're making an early curtain. They help maintain the glow of the pre-prandial drink without turning dinner into a bash. And there's no better way to start Sunday brunch than with a potent preamble to the main fare, whether it is well iced or properly steaming.

The recipes that follow are a fair sampling of the species. Furthermore, they should offer no challenge to the tyro in the kitchen--just sheer pleasure.

[recipe_title]Scotch Shrimp Soup[/recipe_title]

(Serves two or three)

[drinkRecipe]1 can frozen condensed cream-of-shrimp soup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 soup-can milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. Scotch[/drinkRecipe]

Place unopened can in hot water for about 15 minutes to thaw slightly. Empty can into blender, add milk and blend until very smooth. Heat just to boiling point: stir in Scotch; heat until soup returns to simmer.

[recipe_title]Sherry Bean Zip[/recipe_title]

(Serves two or three)

[drinkRecipe]1 can condensed black-bean soup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup cocktail sherry[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

Combine soup and water and heat to boiling point. Stir in sherry and lemon juice and heat until soup returns to simmer. May be garnished with a sprinkling of sieved hard-boiled egg.

Manhattan Soup (serves two or three:) Combine 1 can condensed black-bean soup with 1 cup water, 2 ozs. sweet vermouth, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Heat to boiling point; stir in 2 ozs. bourbon; heat until soup returns to simmer.

[recipe_title]Souper-Bull[/recipe_title]

(Serves Four)

[drinkRecipe]4 beef bouillon cubes[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 cups boiling water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Freshly ground pepper[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 lemon slices[/drinkRecipe]

The bull shot was the first soup offered as a cocktail. By reversing the emphasis, we're just going back to its origins.

Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water. Add vodka. Sprinkle each serving with pepper and garnish with lemon slice.

Cold Bull (serves two or three): Spin in blender 1 10 1/2-oz. can condensed beef bouillon, 1 cup cracked ice and 2 or 3 sprigs parsley without stems, until ice is sherbety but not completely dissolved. Stir in 3 ozs. vodka. Serve in chilled cups or small bowls. May be garnished with lemon slice.

[recipe_title]Rummy Avocado Soup[/recipe_title]

(Serves Four)

[drinkRecipe]1 small ripe avocado[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 can condensed cream-of-chicken soup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 cups milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. light rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Salt[/drinkRecipe]

Strip skin from avocado; mash to a paste with lemon juice. Heat soup and milk just to boiling point. Slowly stir in mashed avocado and rum. Add salt to taste. Stir until mixture just heats through. (Be careful when cooking avocado: Too much heat tends to make it bitter.) Top each portion with several thin slices of avocado, if you like.

[recipe_title]Potagerie Mary[/recipe_title]

(Serves two or three)

[drinkRecipe]1 16-oz. can tomato juice, very cold[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 teaspoon salt[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/8 teaspoon pepper[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash each pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 firm, ripe tomato[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 rib celery[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 littleneck clams with their liquid[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons minced scallion, white and green parts[/drinkRecipe]

This is a hearty version of the bloody mary, everything you'd want an aperitif and an appetizer to be.

Combine tomato juice, vodka and seasonings: chill. Peel and seed tomato. Chop tomato and celery so that they're very fine but still retain their texture. Stir into juice. Pour into chilled bowls. Add 2 clams with their liquid to each bowl. Sprinkle with chopped scallion. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Chopped fresh basil or thyme may also be added.

[recipe_title]Town and Country[/recipe_title]

(Serves two)

[drinkRecipe]3/4 cup Clamato juice, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup buttermilk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. California brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup crushed ice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Salt, pepper[/drinkRecipe]

Every country boy knows that buttermilk is good for you. Every city boy believes the same about brandy. This recipe contains the best of both worlds.

Combine all ingredients in blender and whirl at high speed until completely blended. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with popcorn garnish.

[recipe_title]Gazpacho Martini[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[drinkRecipe]4 tomatoes, peeled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup chopped onion[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cucumber, peeled and cubed[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 green pepper, cut up[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 cloves garlic, quartered[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup olive oil[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons wine vinegar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup bread cubes[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 teaspoons salt[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup tomato juice[/drinkRecipe]

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

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. dry vermouth[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 small stuffed green olives[/drinkRecipe]

Dice tomatoes into bowl, so that no juice is lost. Add all other vegetables, garlic, oil, vinegar, bread and salt. Blend, 2 cups at a time, for 10 to 15 seconds. Jockey the blender, on and off, on and off, checking the consistency. The vegetables should not be puréed, merely chopped fine. After blending, stir in tomato juice, ice, gin and vermouth. Chill thoroughly. Top each portion with 2 olives. Soup may be served with garnishes of chopped cucumber, green pepper, scallion or hard-boiled egg.

[recipe_title]Champagne Fruit Soup[/recipe_title]

(Serves 10 to 12)

[drinkRecipe]1-lb. can pitted dark sweet cherries[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-lb. can pitted sour red cherries[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon grated orange rind[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon cinnamon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons cornstarch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]5 ozs. orange liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 seedless oranges[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 tart apple, peeled and coarsely grated[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 bottle chilled champagne or 1 split per person[/drinkRecipe]

Pour cherries with their juice into saucepan. Add sugar, orange rind, cinnamon and salt. Stir in cornstarch. Cook until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Stir in orange liqueur. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Cut oranges in half, remove sections of pulp with tip of spoon (as you would with grapefruit) and add to cherries. Squeeze in any orange juice remaining in shells. Add apple. Chill. Serve in chilled bowls. This soup doesn't call for an imported bottle of brut; a good American bubbly will do very well. Be generous and serve a split (6-1/2-oz. bottle) per person. Each diner pours the wine into his own bowl and sips the rest of the drink with the meal.

Cocktail soup's on!