It’s probably not a big surprise that someone who writes a cocktail blog would be a nonbeliever, although there’s also no denying the connection between various groups within the Judeo-Christian tradition and demon heavenly alcohol. Think of your Benedictine and Chartruse monks, and, Lord help us, the Manishewitz that introduced me to recreational mind-altering substances one Passover night long ago.
Yet, this agnostic secular Jew with occasional pantheistic fantasies — on a dark night of the soul, I might cry out for the help of the Force or whatever it is that Mr. Spock communes with — has nothing but good feelings about the Society of Friends, better known as the Quaker faith. Sure, it gave us Richard Nixon, who clearly was not overly governed by its pacifistic teachings, but all the Quakers I’ve met personally have been the kind of mighty nice folks who occasionally give Christianity a good name.
I’ve also had nothing but good feelings about this little known concoction, a delightful exercise in friendly persuasion I stumbled over in The Savoy Cocktail Book. Like most of the Quaker folk I’ve come across, this is a smart, simple little drink that’s tasty yet, for a cocktail, oddly wholesome. It also embodies the Society of Friends’ admonishment that attitude adjustment only be done in moderation. This is a drink that is strong enough to be relaxing, tasty enough to be satisfying, but also one that is relatively low calorie and not too big in the buzz department if you keep it to just one.
The Quaker’s Cocktail
3/4 ounce brandy
3/4 ounce light rum
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce raspberry syrup
Combine the liquids and syrup in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Contemplate the lovely flavors that _________________ graced our planet with and maybe even think about the many reasons why it would really be a far better place if we could figure out a way to study war no more.
*****
It’s a fairly frequent experience with me that I love a drink the first couple of times I have it, and then find myself less entranced over time. This actually didn’t happen with the Quaker’s Cocktail. Indeed, every time I tried the drink my feelings about it’s near perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors only grew more positive. Results were consistently delightful with both inexpensive Reynal and even cheaper Martell brandy.
My rums ran a broad gamut and while higher end products such as Myers Light Rum, Papa Pilar’s Blonde Rum, and Bacardi Maestro de Ron all yielded outstanding results, the same could also be said for plain old Bacardi light rum. I also tried both Torani raspberry syrup and the more old fashioned and viscous Smucker’s style. The Torani version distributed the sweetness a bit more efficiently, but both were dandy.
All I can really say is that this is good drink that should be a lot better known…much as I really wish there were as many members of the Society of Friends as there are, say, Southern Baptists. Really, I have no idea if many actual Quakers have ever enjoyed a Quaker’s Cocktail, but I really think it would deepen anyone’s appreciation of creation.
