Hey Jason, I've regularly made a Mountain Ash infused vodka, Russian-style, called Ryabinovka. My mom used to make it. And I've been carrying on the tradition since she passed away in the70s. Fifty fuckin' years now! Nonetheless, it's a fave, with a pronounced astringency that follows the mild fruit that opens the taste. Perfect with a bit of herring and other zakuski. Thanks for sharing your commentary. Salud y vermut! Nick
"I suddenly felt seen, as if my entire life was being explained to me..." made me chuckle. Keep up the hard work - I enjoy reading these adventures into the enchanted forest of eau de vie.
Continuing my theme of extremely late commenting, I will add another theme: referencing my father (my connection to the spirit world, so to speak).
My father has liked to say that his philosophy is to zig when everyone else is zagging. Sounds like “anti-influencer.” Though I winced to hear the person quoted in the NYT call it “good at picking out failures.”
My family in Germany turned us on to schnapps and I agree, most Americans are missing out by not getting into it! It can be hard to find but very worth it. Clearly I'm a few weeks behind on my newsletter reading but I'm really excited to get into Schnapps Week!
On Being a Lover of Eau de Vie in the Age of Fireball
Hey Jason, I've regularly made a Mountain Ash infused vodka, Russian-style, called Ryabinovka. My mom used to make it. And I've been carrying on the tradition since she passed away in the70s. Fifty fuckin' years now! Nonetheless, it's a fave, with a pronounced astringency that follows the mild fruit that opens the taste. Perfect with a bit of herring and other zakuski. Thanks for sharing your commentary. Salud y vermut! Nick
"I suddenly felt seen, as if my entire life was being explained to me..." made me chuckle. Keep up the hard work - I enjoy reading these adventures into the enchanted forest of eau de vie.
Continuing my theme of extremely late commenting, I will add another theme: referencing my father (my connection to the spirit world, so to speak).
My father has liked to say that his philosophy is to zig when everyone else is zagging. Sounds like “anti-influencer.” Though I winced to hear the person quoted in the NYT call it “good at picking out failures.”
My family in Germany turned us on to schnapps and I agree, most Americans are missing out by not getting into it! It can be hard to find but very worth it. Clearly I'm a few weeks behind on my newsletter reading but I'm really excited to get into Schnapps Week!