Julischka

So, it’s 2004, and I’m attending my first Essen Spiel (anannual game convention that attracts upwards of 180,000 people every year) in Essen, Germany. We stay at the Hotel Arosa, and we’re having dinner at the end of theshow on Sunday night. At this dinner, I am introduced for the first time to anamber nectar called julischka.

This julischka glass is available from
Contemporary Complements by
special order.

Julischka is an Eastern European liqueur made from two basiccomponents: slivovitz (a plum brandy) and kruskovec (pear liqueur). It’s anaperitif (well, it’s usually an aperitif; we tend to make it a starter, thirdcourse, aperitif, and desserts 1, 3, 4 and 5). It’s sweet, fruity, with aslightly thick mouth feel and a lingering sweetness that never goes cloying.

The hotel dislocated the restaurant, and they’ve now endedup in Gelsenkirchen in their own place. Dragi, the cook, proprietor and SupremeHostess of the Essen Dinner (lifetime), makes one or more of the liqueurs, andadds a secret ingredient (eventually outed as hruska, a sour apple extract, ina very small quantity). I’ve discussed the initial process of replicating theliqueur on my Facebook page, but suffice it to say I’ve gone down a slightlydifferent path, spiking my blend with Zwack (more on that later) as adimensional layer. I can’t duplicate her julischka, and frankly don’t want to;this is about being able to talk with my American friends about the piles ofperfectly-cooked Argentinean steaks, the wienerschnitzel that’s paper-thin andbreaded expertly, the amazing goulash soup, and the hundreds (yes, hundreds) ofother menu items that we have available to eat there, and then be able to letthem have a little taste that honors the craftsmanship and flavor that we getto enjoy every time we visit.

Julischka

After the julischka atthe Waldhaus-Reese Steakhaus, Wiedehopfstrasse 17, Resser Mark. 45892Gelsenkirchen-Reese

1/4 c. slivovitz

3/4 c. kruskovec

3/4 oz. Zwack

Current paths ofinvestigation:

• Thereare only two major ingredients, so if I’m going to improve this, I have toimprove the alcohols involved, and kruskovec is the one I most want to playwith. I need one that’s thicker and clearer with the pear flavor, without goingtoo sweet. I can adjust the slivovitz to take more or less sweet out of it, butI want to start with the kruskovec as providing the next best opportunity forimprovement.
• I want to stay true to its geographic roots, and I do like the flavortouches that Zwack adds. That said, Zwack in the US is NOT what’s sold inGermany; Unicum (the REAL Zwack) is to US Zwack as a chainsaw is to a butterknife. I’m bringing home a little bit of the real thing to play with, hopingthat when I next put together a batch, I can see how this will affect theoverall flavor (probably forcing me to twitch the kruskovec up as well). Isthere another dimensionalizer out there to discover?...