Epic wine based cocktails with their myths and legends

Not only in Romania, any wine taster, wine afficionado, wine lover or whatsoever needs sometimes to change and replace all the flavors, tastes etc, in order to reset and refresh all their senses.

Maybe Romania is still not excellent positioned at this chapter of the wine culture, nevertheless you can find some good wine bars in Bucharest, other big cities or in the vineyards. The people there could be not very happy when ordering a Julep, Sangria, Bellini etc. please help them to spare their time and money on Google search, giving them the good double checked recipe!

Sangria is an art summer punch, traditionally prepared in Spain. Its name sends to sangre (Spanish for blood), due to it main ingredient, the red wine (and we have plenty of it in Romania!). There are many preparation methods, according to the specific fruits we use, or adding other strong alcoholic drink.You can get a good Sangria even in Romania, the globalization works for you! My tip: never buy a bottled Sangria, it is far away from a real one. besides, remember to prepare it by your own, avoiding it in bars, even in Spain. Shortly, to be more efficient: take a bottle of half dried  red wine and 1 liter of soda; 3-4 spoons of lemon juice, 1 glass of brandy/whisky/Cointreau; 1 peach, 1 apple and 1 orange; 150-200 gr sugar (according one's taste), 1 powder of cinnamon. Peel and cut in pieces the fruits, and let them rest in the chosen alcoholic drink (don't dare to think to gin or vodka!). Before serving, mix the fruits with the juice, wine, soda and lemon juice. At least add the soda and mix softly. Powder with cinnamon and put on some ice.

How to get a perfect Sangria

Bellini is not very common in Romanian wine  bars, and that's why you must be prepared with the right recipe!   This cocktail has an interesting legend, starting in Harry's bar from Venice, where Hemingway and Orson Welles used to go between 1934 and 1938. Giuseppe Cipriani was the bar owner, and discovered this cocktail after many failures. The colour reminds the suit's colour of one saint from a painting by Giovani Bellini. You only need 100 ml of quality white sparkling wine and 50 ml chopped peaches! Put the peaches in a flutte glass, add the wine and stir softly. The original recipe was made with Prosecco wine!

Judge a wine cocktail similarly with a wine tasting

The B2C2 is even more sophisticated, and has the most captivating legend of all cocktails! It happened in march 1945 when the American Intelligence troops G2 found in Ruhr Gebiet a full cellar with fine french drinks, left by the Germans. Obviously, Cognac was drunk as the first, it was almost common those days. But what shall be done with all those fine liquors, as a man never drinks simple liquor. The Americans have been saved by a German war prisoner, who instructed them to mix the drinks in a certain way, resulting the B2C2 (B2=Benedictine+brandy; C2=Cointreau+Champagne). To be more specific, you need 45 ml of brandy (prefer the Cognac), 30 ml Benedictine, 30 ml Cointreau and 120 ml Champagne Brut. Mix the first three ingredients in a highball glass, with a few ice cubes, and add the Champagne at least!

The Romanian Dracula  Tour

The historic truth served as a base for a well known novel of Bram Stoker . There was a Wallachian ruler called Vlad Tepes (The Impaler) who was a very cruel man, his favorite execution method being the impalement. He hated the Turks and strongly fought against them, being celebrate as an athlete of Christianity and being supported even by the Pope.

Vlad Tepes The Impaler, also called Dracula, was cruel, severe, but right and fair, according to Romanian myths and legends

He had no trust in the local influent big boyars, who betrayed his father. These categories of enemies of Vlad Tepes gave him the unhappy opportunities to execute many of them. In the Romanian myths and legends, Vlad Tepes has been portrayed as a right, but severe ruler. His opened mass executions freightened even the big Sultan Mehmet II The Conqueror, coming to Wallachia to cash his tribute or kill Vlad Tepes. So, Mehmet II lost his temper and gone back, when seeing terrible scenes of impaled Turks ( a slow difficult death).

Starting from this truth, Bram Stroker's Novel made from Dracula a world symbol of horror, which is a terrible mistification. But we shall also marketing the Dracula legacy! And I gathered in this Romanian Dracula Tour everything which can remember the life and rule of Vlad Tepes Impaler.

Sighisoara is the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, and a well preserved medieval fortress

Day 1 Sighisoara in Transilvania is the birth place of Vlad Tepes The Impaler. The town of Sighisoara is even nowadays a very well preserved medieval fortress, and many buildings look in the same way they did a few centuries ago, during Tepes childhood. Stay a day there, walk and look the traces of Dracula. Wine tasting in Jidvei possible, and even probable.

The Bran Castle has many in common with Dracula  and makes a good marketing and publicity for it

Day 2 Travel to Cabana Fantanele, a mountain chalet, where Dracula used to refugiate, and Bran Castle, where you can find a torture room and the genuine atmosphere of the old times. You are supposed to eat a lot of garlic during all the day, in order to keep the Devil away (The Romanian Dracula originates from Dracu, or Devil). Not recommended for people with heart diseases, and only possible with a prescription from you Physician.

The Monastery of Snagov  hosts, according the legend,  the tomb  of Dracula

Day 3 Travel to Bucharest and visit the Monastery of Snagov, where according to the legend Vlad Tepes the Impaler was buried. This is again a mistification, he lies most probably in Comana monastery! Besides, you can visit other nice places in Bucharest or one of its wine tasting rooms.
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Romanian Wine Cocktails

You must know and be aware of the wine based cocktails, as you may know as professional or simply skilled wine fan. I am also very fond of cocktails, and other mates of me here in Romania also do! We make them mainly, but not exclusively, during hot summer days, when it is not allowed to drink the wine dried or at room temperature, as the sommelier recommend!

We use here in Romania as cocktail bases natural sweet wines or sweet liqueur wines, and you must know some great wines as Porto, Madera, Marsala, Jerez, as also some other grand vins or grand cru. It is also possible to use Champagne for the cocktails, I am sure you already know this trick.  I adapted the receipes you know to the Romanian particular conditions, getting some amazing results, which I would like to share with you.

During the summer hot days it is not advisable to drink wine dried.

1. Cocktail Busuioaca
Use the following ingredients:
-ice cubes, the half of the shaker
-60 ml fresh orange juice
-30 ml fresh lemon juice
-100 ml Busuioaca de Bohotin
-1 teaspoonful of white rhum

Mix only by hand, well agitating the shaker, until you get an homogenuos drink, and add last the rhum, for a guaranteed success. The result is a long drink, tasting sweety and fruity.

Red wine based cocktail, the wine is Feteasca (girl wine). Indicated for ladies, if drunked by the men!

2.Cocktail Cotnari
Ingredients:
-ice cubes, 1/4 of the shaker
-20 ml exquisite cognac
-20 ml Curacao orange
-60 ml Blanc Cotnari (made by VINARTE SA)
-2 traits Angostura bitter
In order to get a refreshing long drink, you only may to mix 5-6 seconds long

White wine and orange cocktail, with a lot of ice, of course

3. Cocktail Dealu Mare cooler
-ice cubes, 1/4 of the shaker
-20 ml lemon juice
-20 ml exquisite cognac
-100 ml Feteasca Neagra from Dealu Mare (dark red wine)
-complete with soda or sparkling mineral water, or even with ginger ale or lemonlike drinks ( taste matter).
Stir for 10-12 seconds long and get a long soft drink, and decorate with a lemon spiral.

Which is your poisson?

Tell me please your opinions and other receipes or secret tricks you may have.