Zwack's cordial+H
 

I saw a Michael Palin episode "European Travels" or some other like name,
when he went to Hungary and sipped this drink. He probably drank the
stronger version, and as I understand, it is the Unicum Next that I probably
had last week, 'cherried' for us folks here in the U.S.


"Unicum is available through select spirits distributors throughout the
United States, as is Unicum Next, re-branded as "Zwack"."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicum


It was certainly a bit sweet for me; otherwise I might have liked it more.
But I wouldn't be drinking it as a rule, as it was 40% alcohol, which is a
bit too high for my enjoyment.

Interesting drink.
Dee Dee

Zwack's cordial+H
 

cwdjrxyz wrote:
> On Feb 23, 4:07 pm, "Dee Randall" > wrote:
>> I saw a Michael Palin episode "European Travels" or some other like name,
>> when he went to Hungary and sipped this drink. He probably drank the
>> stronger version, and as I understand, it is the Unicum Next that I probably
>> had last week, 'cherried' for us folks here in the U.S.
>>
>> "Unicum is available through select spirits distributors throughout the
>> United States, as is Unicum Next, re-branded as "Zwack"."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicum
>>
>> It was certainly a bit sweet for me; otherwise I might have liked it more.
>> But I wouldn't be drinking it as a rule, as it was 40% alcohol, which is a
>> bit too high for my enjoyment.
>
> Europe is full of spirits that seldom are seen in the U.S., some of
> which are outstanding, some of which are not, and some of which are
> not much atuned to wide US public taste. Italy must be the king of
> bitter spirits, but Germany, France, and other countries have several.
> I doubt if you would like the bitter Cynar from Italy made from the
> leaves of artichoke plants, for example.
>

No help on the zwack front, but I was meaning to post this link
for some time.

http://www.lalambic-spiritueux.com/catalogue.php

This store apparently specializes in obscure liqueurs, they papered
my car last summer in Vaison la Romaine and I thought it looked
interesting.

-E
>

Zwack's cordial+H
 

"Dee Randall" > skrev i melding
...
>
> Tyrani (Buckthorn)
> from Lapponia in, I believe, Finland is very interesting. I have not
> found a source for it in the US, but it is available in the UK.
>
It is Lapponia Tyrni and, yes, it is Finland.

:-) Anders

Zwack's cordial+H
 

On Feb 24, 5:11*am, "Anders Tørneskog" >
wrote:
> "Dee Randall" > skrev i ...
>
> > Tyrani (Buckthorn)
> > from Lapponia in, I believe, Finland is very interesting. I have not
> > found a source for it in the US, but it is available in the UK.
>
> It is Lapponia Tyrni and, yes, it is Finland.
>

Thanks. I found a picture of it at a UK spirits store at
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-3251.aspx .
You can enlarge the image to near full screen size to view the label.
Note that they are selling the 50 cl size, so the liqueur, while not
expensive is not cheap either. Not shown on the picture is a small
back label in English, likely applied for the UK market. It indicates
that this liqueur is the product of V&S Finland Oy. of Helsinki
Finland. Tyrni (buckthorn or havtorn) is a rare wild berry on
Finland's fresh archipelago. The company also makes a few other fruit
liqueurs from cold climate berries such as polar cranberry.

Zwack's cordial+H
 

Any good Italian bar worth your time and money will stock both
Sicily's Averna (think "herbs") and Sardinia's Mirto (think "berries"
and "myrtle"). My wife and I try to keep a bottle of each on the shelf
here at home in London, but they don't last long. Both are great for
evening sipping and for sharing with guests after a nice meal as a
"digestivo" (helps you digest).

Some links:

http://www.averna.it/en/index.htm
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-3142.aspx

http://en.yndella.com/MirtodiSardegn..._2_0_1681.aspx
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/...n_Liquor_.html

Prices are quite reasonable at any standard Italian supermarket (in
Italy) as both are very common.

(Slightly off the food-wine topic, I admit, but I couldn't resist
sharing! At least I'm not spamming you with replica watches!)

PS: One of the most beautiful liquors I have ever tasted was an ice-
cold Hungarian pear Palinka (concentrated, elegant essences of the
most volatile and light pear flavors). I believe I was drinking a home-
made version, but this link suggest you can by the stuff:

http://www.palinka-store.com/product...994ef0918b230b