Albuquerque AT Shindig and Raki (Anise Drink)

[Guest guest]

Hey Christy, Barbara .. other good folks ..

 

>>I was surprised to see that those who showed up nightly actually

>>enjoyed Raki. Told'em from the gitgo they would either love it or

>>hate it .. but amazingly, every dang one'a them wimmens loved it.

>>But .. it is Aromatherapy in a big way .. co-distilled Grapes and

>>Anise Seed.

>

> I love ABQ, and I longed to see my old friends again. My soul could

> have used the break from " life " as I now know it. It's been a tough

> year, divorce, living where I don't want to live.... But, sadly, I

> was in the middle of a move, limited financially, and just couldn't

> make it a priority. Broke my heart, perhaps next time...

 

Wish you coulda made it .. we had a good time fer'shur. Got to meet

some new folks this time .. like Michele Madison Robles and Alison

Kingsbury. :-)

 

I have to warn folks that if you plan to visit the Botanical Gardens in

Albuquerque .. don't bother .. its a BIG FLOP! But Old Town is

something to see .. lots of great restaurants, shops and museums.

 

> Now, this Anise drink sounds divine. I know i would have dug it, but

> then, I love black licorice. Where do you get it?

 

I brought 2 bottles from Turkey .. Yeni Raki (Export). One can find it

in some liqueur stores in the USA. Some Charleston, SC stores carry it.

I used to find it in Atlanta .. but that city has thousands of Turks.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raki_(alcoholic_beverage)

 

> Christy

 

Hey Barbara,

 

> Just chiming in, as rare as I can make it to check the list:

>

> For a " tummy-reliever " , I get a bottle of Gin 40% - used juniper

> schnapps in Germany, but can't find it in the USA.

 

Sounds good .. in fact, sounds a bit like Greek Retsina.

 

> In an empty, dry & clean 1 liter glas bottle I pour 1/3 cup of anise

> seed, fennel seed and caraway seed each, then fill it up with the

> alcohol.

> I let that mixture soak and ripen for a couple of weeks, shaking it up

> occasionally.

> Then I pour the extract through a strainer back into the gin bottle.

> Works wonders after too much and too fat food ;-)

 

Ahhh .. a brew master you be. ;-)

 

> Smiles!

> * * * * Barbara

>

> BTW, we love the greek Ouzo (anise schnapps). Good for digestion too,

> but expensive hereabouts...

 

Greek Ouzo is more dangerous (for me) than Raki in that its made from a

combination of fruits .. its sweeter than Raki so it can be consumed

faster .. and it catches up with one faster. ;-)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouzo

 

As for it being good for the stomach .. Greeks and Turks claim all kinds

of therapeutic properties from their national drinks .. but I think they

do this for nationalistic reasons and to justify more consumption. ;-)

 

As for me .. if I drink too much Raki I get heartburn .. it produces one

heckuva lotta stomach acid. I get the same results from Greek Ouzo and

Arabic Araq.

 

Actually, all of these drinks should not be consumed without food. Its

very customary here to have it with fish dinners .. and those who sit in

a bar and choose it as their drink are served a platter of cheese and

fruit .. and a glass of water on the side.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com