MxMo CVIII – The Swizzle

Mixology Monday

Le Bois Lele

It’s Mixology Monday!  This Month, our host Frederic of the CocktailVirgin blog, has revived the Swizzle.  Yes, the Swizzle is a drink, not just a stick!  When ice found its way to the Caribbean in the 19th Century, it quickly found a home in cocktails.  No longer did one have to endure the hot weather with warm punch.  For the Swizzle, the ice was shaved or finely crushed into the drink and the whole thing stirred with a Le Bois Lele – the original swizzle stick.  The Le Bois Lele is from a bush that has stems with 4 or 5 branches that come off at a 90º angle.  By rubbing the Le Bois Lele between the palms like a Boy Scout starting a fire, the drink is stirred and frothed into a frosty libation.  There are various types of Swizzles, but basically it’s the technique more than the ingredients.  The base spirits used in the 19th Century depended on the location, but were generally rum or gin.  The drinks themselves are usually sours.

For this Month’s Mixology Monday, we are offering 2 Swizzles: The Southtown Swizzle and the Tepache Swizzle.  I’ll start with the Southtown Swizzle.

Southtown Swizzle

This cocktail is named after San Antonio’s Southtown, which is an area just south of Downtown, the River Walk and the Alamo.  It is home to historic neighborhoods, an up and coming arts district and a busy culinary scene.  Located in Southtown is the Dorcol Distillery.  There they produce an amazing rakia and, more recently, beer.  They also have a bar from which they serve very innovative and delicious cocktails.

The Southtown Swizzle is all about Dorcol’s bone dry apricot Kinsman Rakia.  The citrus, in this case orange and lime, brightens the party while the Chartreuse adds a touch of herbs.  The Angostura finishes with a little complexity.

• 2 oz. Kinsman Rakia
• 1 oz. Orange juice
• 1 oz. Lime juice
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1/4 oz. Chartreuse
• Angostura Bitters

1. Combine everything but the bitters in a Collins glass and add enough crushed or shaved ice to fill the glass 2/3’s
2. Swizzle with a swizzle stick or spoon until the glass is frosted
3. Add more ice to fill and continue swizzling until the drink is frothy and the glass is frosted or you get tired
4. Garnish with several dashes of Angostura on top

Tepache Swizzle

I really like Tepache!  That funky pineapple cider – esc concoction.  We prefer this recipe from Victor Tango’s.  It fits perfectly with the concept of the Swizzle.  For this cocktail I used Genevere, lime and Allspice Dram.  The flavors combine to whisk you to the Islands with the first sip.

• 2 oz. Genevere – I used Bols
• 1 oz. Tepache
• 1 oz. Lime juice
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1/4 oz. Allspice Dram
• Angostura Bitters

1. Combine everything but the bitters in a Collins glass and add enough crushed or shaved ice to fill the glass 2/3’s
2. Swizzle with a swizzle stick or spoon until the glass is frosted
3. Add more ice to fill and continue swizzling until the drink is frothy and the glass is frosted or you get tired
4. Garnish with several dashes of Angostura on top.

Cheers!