An online speakeasy of potent potables and other pabulam.

tmfiii

sent me a link that led me to a NYTimes blog post about Underberg.

Yay!  Underberg!

We first had Underberg at a restaurant in NYC called Lederhosen.  A German place, it had a display of it, and while a friend of ours had a bottle with a German label, theirs was in English.  They suggested we wait until after we eat to try it, and thus we did.  It definitely helped with the digestion!

Later, as mentioned in my “normal”

runoknows

blog, a friend of mine brought me a different bitter from Lithuania:

While some people compare Underberg – rightfully or not – to Jagermeister – though I’d say a spicier version thereof – the 999 is smoother and less of an attack on the senses.  It does satiate the bloated feeling you can get after a big meal, though I think (perhaps psychosomatically) that the Underberg does a better job.

Of course, we also have a bottle of port I could break open and use a digestif.  But that ain’t bitter.

Supposedly Campari is used in that regards, too, but I don’t own a bottle of that…yet.

Let’s see, what else can you use…

 I came across this recipe while reading through a myriad of cocktail and food blogs.  It caught my eye because both Sean and I enjoy spicy foods.  Here is the recipe:
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Habanero Orange Blossom

1.5 oz. Sarticious Gin
1 oz Orange Juice
1 dash Orange Bitters
2 slices habanero pepper

Carefully remove all seeds and pulp from habanero pepper and cut it into slices or rings. (Wear rubber gloves when you’re messing around with these pappers, they’re hot!)

Dash the orange bitters into the cocktail glass. Shake the Sarticious Gin, orange juice, and a slice of habanero pepper and double strain into the cocktail glass, garnish with a slice of habanero pepper.
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Sarticious Gin is a particular type of gin that includes cilantro in the aromatics.  Which I can see going well with the habanero.  I’ve never seen Sarticious in the store so I can’t say I would make this drink . . . 

However . . . I do have Hendricks gin that I think would work very well as a substitute.  Hendrick’s has also become my favorite gin and usually what I’ll go to first if given an option.  If you aren’t familiar, Hendricks includes cucumber and rose as two of the botanicals/aromatics in the distillation process.  Both of which would seem to go well with orange and habanero, IMO.

Anyone out there have a thought?