Trade Winds

Another unlikely tiki cocktail, the Trade Winds gets its sweetness from falernum and Slivovica, Croatian plum brandy. The flavors are super floral and spicy. You notice the tropical spices of falernum and funky pot still flavors from Pusser's (which is made in a wooden still, if you can believe it.) You get the feeling that the Trade Winds is going for a world-wide cocktail with European, Asian, Pacific and Caribbean ingredients.

• 2 oz. gold rum (Pusser's Navy rum used)
• 1 oz. Slivovica or slivowitz
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. falernum

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

Plum Fizz

What a refreshing and different cocktail. The Plum Fizz is actually close to a Rickey or a Kirsh Rickey, anyway.

The difference is slivovitz, or slivovica as it is called in Croatia. This plum spirit is easy to mix with and it makes some very refreshing cocktails with a nice floral nose of fruit juices. I had to wait until plums were available in order to do the garnishes. It was a long time in coming, but well worth it.

• 2 oz. slivovitz
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• club soda
• plum slice

Combine slivovitz, lime juice, and sugar syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a plum slice. 

Post-Modern Lemonade

This "lemonade" drink (I use quotes because it is pretty much like calling a Long Island Iced Tea a "tea" drink) is the cocktail equivalent to Picasso's Guernica. Its a modern masterpiece with so much texture, a collage of flavors from different countries. It is called Post-Modern because, like the literature and art categorized in this period, it represents a blend of nationalities and a multiplicity of points of view. Were Picasso to paint this drink, you would see it repeated in various perspectives and colors.

Sloe gin, a British country spirit, adds sweetness, while slivovitz is a plum brandy from the Czech Republic. Aquavit (or akvavit) is a gin-like spirit made from cumin, coriander and fennel. This is the akvavit kit from Osterlenkryddors that I made a few weeks ago. It stands out under all the liqueurs and brandies, not to mention lemonade, in this cocktail. Then there's dry sherry, the fruity fortified wine of Spain that goes well with citrus juice. All of these come together in a sparkling lemonade, the fizz lifting some flavors to the forefront while you sip. It took a while to acquire all these ingredients, but this drink was well worth the effort.

• 2 oz. sloe gin
• 2 oz. dry sherry 
• 1 tbsp. slivovitz 
• 1 oz. aquavit
• 3 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• sparkling water
• lemon twist

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

Moldau

Moldau is the longest river in the Czech republic. That's why this drink has slivovitz, the plum brandy spirit of Croatia (they call it Slivovica) and a favorite of Slavic people. This is a relatively dry cocktail with lemon and orange juice and gin, with the round mouthfeel of slivovitz to add sweetness, which it does in small measure.

It was tart when cold, but it got better as the drink warmed up. It became more exotic and fruity from the white plum spirit.

• 2 oz. gin (Common Wealth gin used)
• 1 oz. slivovitz (Maraska used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. orange juice

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