What The Kirsh? (Original Recipe)

 

It may look like a Cosmopolitan; it may even taste a little like one, but that pink citrusy drink with a lime wedge is not a vodka a and cranberry served up. 

Kirschwasser is a German cherry brandy that has fruity, ether-like notes of black cherries. It is clear and strong and great as a base for a stiff cocktail. The pink comes from the creme de noyaux, an almond liquor. Creme de cacao rounds out the sweetness of the drink with Tootsie Roll notes. This balances just a kiss of lime acidity. See where this is going? Make it and find out.

• 2 oz. Kammer-Kirsch
• 1 oz. Tempus Fugit creme de noyaux
• 1/4 oz. creme de cacao
• squeeze of 1/8 lime wedge
  
• lime wedge garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime wedge.

Mr. Kappes (Difford's Guide Reciep)

 

This rich and boozy cocktail is all about sherry and kirschwasser. It strikes me as very much a style of central Europe, with fruit brandy and fortified wine enjoyed from southern Spain to northern Denmark. There is a hint of citrus from the twist and Lillet Blanc, but hardly enough to lift it from the depths of funk that comes from 90-proof kirschwasser, which has a distinctive flavor like pisco or grappa and the rich age of PX (or solera) sherry. 

It is a big drink that I knew wouldn't fit in a coup, so here it is in a Martini glass. I can't say I love this cocktail, but like anyone who likes all of the ingredients separately, I had to try them together. 

• 2 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 oz. Pedro Ximenez sherry (Lustau East India solera used)
• 1 oz. Lillet blanc
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Twist the lemon zest over the glass and drop it in. 

New Amsterdam (Difford's Guide Recipe)

 

This isn't the first time I've made a Dutch-themed cocktail with Genever. It is the first time I've had one that was all spirits, including a huge gob of kirschwasser. Kirschwasser or kirsch is technically German, but it's damn close to Dutch and just about anything strong that people in Central Europe will drink. That is because it is high-proof cherry brandy. The flavor is a little musty, not so much like fruit but more like cherry pits and similar to the wildness of grappa. 

This cocktail is thankfully mellowed by the malt notes of barrel aged genever. Both are strong, but almost opposite in texture as far as distilled spirits go. Only a splash of sugar and two dashes of Peychaud's is needed to bring them together. The Dutch and Germans may not always be friendly with each other, but they can agree that their spirits go well together.

• 2 oz. Bols barrel aged genever
• 1 oz. Kammer kirsch
• 1 bar spoon sugar syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• lemon twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a lemon zest over the glass and drop it in. 

Golfe Juan

 

I'm breaking out the French-themed drinks, even though not all ingredients are French in and of themselves. Golfe-Juan is a seaside resort on France's Côte d'Azur. The place has an air of tropical paradise to it with all the trappings of French tourist sites. The cocktail blends these two attitudes perfectly with European liqueurs of the golden age of cocktails and pineapple and lemon juice.

Altogether, you can possibly have as many as three European nationalities represented in one touristy cocktail: French brandy, Italian maraschino liqueur, and German kirschwasser. Don't use an American sweet kirsch. It tastes like cherry candy and you already have maraschino for that. A true kirsch, however will easily float on this drink, kicking up the alcoholic nose and giving the whole drink the boozy beachside cafe feel you are looking for.

• 1 1/2 oz. brandy (Korbel used but use cognac to make it more French)
• 1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur like Luxardo
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. kirsch float (Kammer Kirsch used)

Combine all ingredients except for kirsch in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Use a bar spoon to float the kirsch on top of the drink.

Mother's Whistler

Who's whistling at Mom? I can't make sense of this drink, other than someone thought it was the expected outcome when their mother started drinking. This is an all-out pineapple and vodka drink with the help of the dry fruitiness of kirsch. 

I don't have any pineapple sticks, as is recommended in the recipe, because I only have canned pineapple juice. But a little garnish goes a long way in signaling tropical flavor in this vacation-in-a-glass.

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (Smirnoff 57 used)
  
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup
• dash kirsch
• pineapple stick

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake briefly and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with pineapple stick or whatever tropical flair you have around. 

Swiss Manhattan

 

 

I love a good Manhattan, but sometimes they are too rich for summer sipping. This Swiss version has the dry vermouth of a summer Dry Manhattan with equally dry cocoa whiskey. Kirschwasser and a cherry suggest a chocolate covered cherry, but there's none of the sweetness you associate with chocolate drinks. 

That is because MurLarkey cocoa whiskey is white whiskey rested on bitter cocoa nibs. It is just as strong as whiskey with a bitter chocolate finish. 

I was disappointed with the New American Bartender's Guide recipe that not only didn't have chocolate, but included such a small proportion of whiskey. I've simply upped the size of the drink by adding cocoa whiskey, but kirschwasser does not add the sweetness that this old recipe anticipates--not the real kirschwasser, anyway. A few drops of sugar is preferable in the large size recipe. 

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon
• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey cocoa whiskey
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
  
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser
• several dashes aromatic bitters (Hella used)
• maraschino cherry

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry. 

Night Train

How do you spice up a pretty typical Gin Sour cocktail? By making it with a prohibition-style bathtub gin and a touch of kirsch.

Truthfully, this cocktail has a lot of trappings of the pre-Prohibition era: it's a potent gin drink with fresh juice and a name that suggests rail travel. Kirschwasser just happens to be one of the international spirits that bars would have had in the U.S. and a well-traveled person would know of its ability to lend potent fruit-scented punch to drinks when they are served up.

It's the large flat surface of a coup glass that really gives off whiffs of evaporating alcohol that is pleasing to drinkers. Gin itself, with its herbal and citrus botanicals really dances under the nose. Kirsch, which is distilled cherry juice, is a little darker with a smoother flavor and a rustic taste similar to pisco.

Making your own bathtub (steeped gin) is easy with 100-proof vodka, some juniper berries and citrus peels. Just throw about 20 juniper berries in a jar with just a peel of lemon and orange. I like a dozen angelica seeds and a dozen anise seeds as well as a sprig of basil and rosemary, but that's my preference. I've learned that understeeping is better than oversteeping, though, so strain out the solids after about three days.

The result is a green colored gin that is pretty dry and strong. It has the hearty flavor profile of a Prohibition era gin made the same way (hopefully not in a bathtub).    

• 2 oz. gin (homemade dry gin used)
• 1 oz. Cointreau (triple sec used)
  
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• dash kirsch

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Vina Del Mar Cooler

I love a summer cooler. You need to hydrate while drinking your booze when the temperatures go up. What better way to relax on the porch than to enjoy a fruity and strong cocktail that cools you off.

This particular cooler feels very Caribbean with ginger beer from Jamaica, orange juice and lime zest and a piratical rum like Blackbeard's Point. I followed the recipe exactly in my use of kirsch, but I feel that the cherry brandy is lost with all of the other bright flavors. One might experiment with Cherry Heering or cherry flavored brandy, or even maraschino liqueur and see if you get better results. My feeling is that if the proportion of kirschwasser in a recipe is below a half ounce, you are probably not going to notice it and a spirit with stronger cherry flavor is going to be better.

Also a note on the ginger beer. Some ginger beers like Fever Tree are really spicy. I'm looking for a sweeter ginger beer because this recipe contains no added sugar and kirsch is actually very dry. Fever Tree ginger ale is exactly what I'm looking for. A homemade ginger beer that is lower carbonation and spice will also work.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Blackbeard's Point used)
• 1/4 oz. kirsch (Kammer kirsch used)
• 4 oz. orange juice
• ginger beer (a sweet one like Jamaica's finest or a spicier ginger ale recommended)
• lime twist

Combine juice and spirits in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a double Old Fashioned glass. Top with ginger beer, stir and twist lime zest over the glass and drop it in.

Danish Manhattan

Okay! I get it. Peter Heering was a Danish liqueur producer (though now his cherry liqueur is made in Sweeden). So I understand the temptation to take a whiskey cocktail and name it a Manhattan even though there is no vermouth and no bitters. The concept is good, but it doesn't taste too much like a Manhattan after all is said and done.

Seagrams 7 Crown is so mellow and Cherry Herring is so sweet, I am unable to find that bite we usually associate with a Manhattan. In keeping with the cherry theme, there's a bit of kirsch here, which does provide a little alcoholic traction, that trenchant fruit brandy flavor that is usually associated with grapa. It's not a bad drink, but maybe a little bit unnecessary. And if I'm feeling that about the name, then maybe a new name is all the Danish Manhattan needs--and maybe some cherry bitters!

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (Seagram's 7 Crown used)
• 1/4 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1/4 oz. Cherry Heering

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Windward Passage

On first look, this cocktail seems a little like a variation on the Tradewinds that includes Slivovitz. It really is its own thing, however; especially when you consider it being served up with pineapple juice, kirsch, and creme de cassis.  The Windward Passage, nevertheless, is a well balanced tropical drink that deserves more attention.

First, it's balance: there's not a lot of sugar here, and grapefruit juice takes it in a tart direction. Yet you can count on the small proportion of creme de cassis and the outsized gob of pineapple juice to soften the acidity and alcohol presence. That again is helped by the kirsch, which really makes it easier to taste the alcohol through the large juice components.

Then, there's the look--foamy pink without using an egg white or grenadine. You can get away with using that pale canned grapefruit juice here if you like and it will still look nice. (I almost always use fresh squeezed so I can garnish with a slice of grapefruit.)

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Vitae platinum used)
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 tsp. kirsch (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 tsp. creme de cassis (G.E, Massenez used)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The Vulgar Boatman

I kind of like when cocktail names get corrupted and a new idea springs forth. It starts with a guest mis-hearing the name of the drink (the Harvey Wallbanger) and asking for it wrong the rest of the night No one corrects them and suddenly regulars are flocking to try this new cocktail (The Wally Harvbanger.)

This cocktail is a little more Eurocentric than the Volga Boatman, it's originator. There's German kirschwasser, Swedish cherry liqueur and Polish vodka, Italian vermouth, as well as orange bitters. This drink is richer than the Volga Boatman, and much less juicy. Orange his hinted at with the bitters, not the juice itself.

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (Belvedere used)
• 3/4 oz. cherry liqueur (Cherry Herring used)
• 1/4 oz. dry vermouth (Antica dry used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice 
• 1/4 tsp. kirsch (Kammer kirsch used)
• dash of orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass 

Danish Gin Fizz

Cherry Heering, originating in Denmark, makes this Fizz "Danish." The kirschwasser, however is German. And despite that kirsh and Heering are both cherry flavor, the latter is sweetened while the former is dry and made from distilled fermented cherry juice.

This cocktail is rich and colorful--a good spring weather sipper. Fans of Collins or Singapore Slings will appreciate the similarity.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used
• 3/4 oz. cherry Heering
• 1/4 oz. kirsch (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/ 2 oz. sugar syrup
• club soda
• lime slice

Combine the first five ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with the lime slice. 

Tivoli Cocktail (#2?)

Though there's no number with this drink's title, there is another Tivoli Cocktail with bourbon. This is a tart and creamy blended cocktail that really makes aquavit very palatable. It is more fitting than a stiff bourbon drink: it is likely that such a drink would be offered at the famed Danish theme park. I can even imagine them serving it to kids because they have such a relaxed culture towards children having alcohol.

• 1 1/2 oz. aquavit (homemade akvavit used)
• 1/4 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsh used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1 oz. cream

Combine aquavit, kirsch, lime juice and sugar in a blender with cracked ice. Blend briefly to mix. Add the cream and increase the speed to frappe. Pour into a wine goblet. (I used an ice cream dish.)

Imperial Kir

Now that I'm on the subject of Kirs, let me introduce you to this baddie! It is a Kir on steroids (or Kirsh, actually) and it combines two fruit spirits with bubbles and a lot of crushed ice. The Kirshwasser--not a small portion, here--is probably what promotes the Kir Royale to an emperor. If not that, though, it must be the massive size of this drink. It's like it is designed to wipe out any drinker in one cocktail.

Kirschwasser--the traditional stuff from Germany, like this Kammer Kirsch--is very high proof. It tastes like dry fruit brandy, and I love how that dryness and fruit comes through what is normally a sweet black current pie of a cocktail. Crushed ice makes the whole think unbelievably cold compared to the often improperly-served warm Kir (when you don't chill the cassis and just put it in the warm glass and top with champagne and hope for the best.) It turns out that the Imperial Kir is a drink that is enjoyable when you take your time with it and let it dilute a little. At this strength and size, you almost have to!

• 2 oz. creme de cassis (G. E Massenez used)
• 1 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• champagne or sparkling wine

Combine creme de cassis ingredients with crushed ice in a shaker or blender. Shake or blend briefly to combine evenly and pour into a large wine goblet. Top with champagne or sparkling wine and stir gently.

Burgundy Punch

Not all punches are rum and fruit juice. A good number are wine-based. This punch is reminiscent of old world punch and cocktails that use European wines and spirits to create a balance between sweet, sour, tanic and earthy.

The result is a smooth punch with lots of depth. It is neither too strong, nor uninteresting. At first you notice the cabernet (the recipe calls for Burgundy, but I opted for Poppy, Paso Robles cabernet. This wine is not so much rich as it is flavorful. The addition of port softens this somewhat. In the center of the sip you notice the orange and lemon citrus burst. The finish is characterized by more port and a whiff of boozy Kammer Kirsch, one of the best examples of Kirschwasser--a black cherry spirit similar to white brandy.

• 2 bottles of red Burgundy or cabernet sauvignon
• 8 oz. kirschwasser
• 8 oz. port
• 16 oz. orange juice (fresh squeezed cara cara used)
• 4 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• orange slices

Combine all ingredients in a chilled punch bowl with a block of ice. Stir well and garnish with orange slices.
*Note: I chilled all the ingredients in the punch bowl for two hours before serving on ice. This prevents watering the punch down too much and even enhances the flavor combination as ingredients sit with each other and while the punch warms up. This punch serves twenty.

German Cocktail

I wanted to take another swing at the K.G.B. Cocktail, you know, that one that is supposed to stand for the three ingredients: kirschwasser, gin and brandy, but the ingredients are really kirschwasser, gin and apricot brandy (for sweetness). I guess that a K.G.AB doesn't sound as cool. But I figured, what if this drink could be done with all German ingredients?

Until recently, this wasn't possible. Then Monkey 47 came along and changed everything. I should warn the potential drinker or mixologist who tries this one out. Unlike the K.G.B., there is no sugar from the apricot brandy. That means that this cocktail is make of only overproof spirits. It is dry and strong and should take any normal person a little while to finish. This is good. Slow down and enjoy this drink. Good things take time.

• 3/4 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 2 oz. gin (Monkey 47 used)
• 1/4 oz. brandy (Asbach Uralt used)
• lemon twist

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist. 

Pancho Villa

The raider of New Mexico was deadly and so is is namesake drink. There's so much booze in this cocktail that I wondered if it was a misprint. There's 2 oz. of rum, one of gin and about another 1.5 oz. of miscellaneous spirits and almost no juice, that you know not to mess with Pancho.

I took the opportunity to try out the new Vitae spirits I bought from Charlottesville, Virginia. Vitae makes a platinum rum with great flavor that tastes much like fresh cane juice. It is an excellent tiki cocktail addition. Then they have the only molasses-based gin in the U.S. with a fun aromatic scent and the flavor of local hardy oranges. The drink is further exoticized with apricot brandy and cherry brandy. I opted for kirschwasser for the latter for color consistency and the rummy flavor of kirsch that sweet cherry brandy doesn't have.

• 2 oz. light rum (Vitae platinum used)
• 1 oz. gin (Vitae modern gin used)
• 1 oz. apricot brandy 
• 1 tbsp. cherry brandy (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 tbsp. pineapple juice

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Cherry Cooler

When did a "cooler" begin to imply a cola drink? I've seen more than one cola "cooler," but this one stands out as the best. It has to do with Kammer Kirsch's high 45-percent ABV and its bright cherry flavor that is not unlike rum. Yes, this is just a cherry cola (Pepsi pictured), but it is also a good drink, specifically because of its simplicity.

• 2 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• cola
• lemon slice

Build drink in a Collins glass full of ice. Pour kirsch into the glass and top with cola. Stir gently and garnish with the lemon slice. 

Ostend Fizz

Ostend is a Belgian coastal city where you might find some of these liquors, though I doubt they even know about this drink. It is too much an American thing to mix like this. That is because the French like their creme de cassis in wine or even beer. And the Germans like to take shots of kirschwasser after dinner. Just because Belgium is between the two countries, doesn't mean they would mix their spirits like this.

The Ostend Fizz is a light and refreshing drink for all the flavor of the main ingredients. That is because lemon and sparkling water and the nature of a fizz means good warm spring day drinking.

• 2 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 oz. creme de cassis 
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• sparkling water
• lemon slice

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water and lemon slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir. Garnish with the lemon slice. 

Wedding Belle Cocktial

I really appreciated how aromatic this drink is. Yes it is a dry gin cocktail, but the other spirits also shine. Kirschwasser has this dry brandy scent and Dubonnet Rouge does a lot to ground the drink with bitterness and sweet wine. Taken together, it is a perfect marriage.

• 2 oz. gin (Caorunn used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Dubonnet Rouge
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz. orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.