The Komsomolka Tear cocktail can be called, if not cult, then close to it, since this particular drink is the central figure of the Moscow-Petushki opus, which is hardly unfamiliar to any Russian person. In fact, it is a direct allusion to what poor people drank instead of vodka or moonshine, since the classic recipe is a mixture of poisonous liquids unsuitable for consumption. However, if the Komsomolka Tear cocktail itself is poisonous in nature, then the recipes of the followers of this alcoholic drink are still found today as a pleasant note of nostalgia.
Primary source
The author of the opus "Moscow - Petushki" is Venedikt Vasilyevich Erofeev. On the Web there are quite a few different reviews on this creation, some condemn the author, others, on the contrary, admire him. In any case, the book traces the topic of drunkenness, alcoholism, its consequences for the body, mental health and understanding of the world. All this, coupled with black satire and some absurdity, sets the tone for the work and makes it surprisingly easy to read.
Among other things, the main lyrical hero drinks almost everything that falls into his arm, embellishing each new “clap” of wineglass with new philosophical debates. It is no secret that the author described the protagonist from himself, since Moscow-Petushki is a pseudo-autobiographical work, in fact, the author’s idea of his life. The cocktail “Tear of the Komsomol member” from “Moscow - Petushki” could actually exist, taking into account the situation with general drunkenness in the USSR shortly before perestroika and after it. Directly the work itself without formatting was published in 1989.
The cult of the author
In his works, Erofeev gravitates to the subject of surrealism, he is valued for his undisguised exposure of the essence of everyday life, as well as for political issues that he was simply afraid to write about. In fact, the Komsomolka Tear cocktail, like other key images from the author’s work, has become iconic not only in Russia, but also abroad. Everyone determines the reasons for this popularity for themselves, but it is worth remembering that, being an unrecognized genius, Erofeev never gravitated to the mass production of books, for which he is loved by fans.
The classic cocktail recipe "Komsomolka Tear"
The original, described in the opus of the author, is not suitable for use. You should not even try to reproduce this drink simply because it is guaranteed to lead to burns and swelling of the throat, it is quite possible, and to other serious consequences. An authentic recipe looks like this:
- Add 15 ml of Verbena and Lavender to the stack. In this case, we are not talking about tinctures, but about cologne based on ethanol, popular in the USSR.
- Add 30 ml of Forest Water. The closest analogue today is “Russian Forest”, however, the main character “Moscow - Petushki” would most likely be twisted by such a comparison.
- 2 grams of nail polish should also be added here.
- The basis for the balance will be 150 grams of tooth elixir and 150 milliliters of lemonade.
It is recommended to stir the swill with a sprig of honeysuckle, but in no case not great. In addition to the satirical component, this recommendation has no serious effect on the taste of the drink.
The protagonist offers to mix it all, and then drink. Once again, it is important to understand that such a recipe is most likely to be extremely unhealthy. However, especially for the author’s deep admirers, there are several additional options for the Komsomolka Tear cocktail, which is still suitable for drinking.
Effect of consumption
The author himself directly describes the effect of the Komsomolka Tear cocktail in this way:
The drinker just keeps vodka and a sound mind, and a solid memory, or, conversely, loses both at once. And in the case of the “Tear of the Komsomol member” it’s just ridiculous: you drink it a hundred grams, this “tear” is a solid memory, but there wasn’t any common sense. If you drink another hundred grams, you wonder yourself: where did so much sound mind come from? And where did all the solid memory go?
Most likely, we are talking about the fact that in small doses such a drink leads to the appearance of clouding of the mind, later this process worsens. And the very “sound mind” that still appears after 200 grams of a drink is just a hallucination or the author’s own idea of the drunkenness and behavior of an individual subject to alcohol intoxication.
Speaking of the latter, cocktails in Moscow-Petushki led Venechka to see a strange hallucination in the form of a sphinx, which even asked him absolutely senseless puzzles. It is possible that directly all the actions around the alcoholic in this creation are delirium of the protagonist.
What would happen to a person after such a cocktail?
The composition of the Komsomolka Tear cocktail is toxic to the average person. Even if you exclude nail polish from the recipe, the recipe will still be unsuitable for drinking. The fact is that the alcohol that underlies the cologne does not undergo special treatment and is much stronger. So, for example, in order to prepare a herbal tincture, an alcohol base is used, the strength of which exceeds 80 degrees.
The first time it enters the body, such a cocktail is most likely to cause an emetic urge, after which a person will earn a full set of symptoms characteristic of a person suffering from severe intoxication: weakness, headache, nausea, stomach pain. If you swallow a cocktail, then in this case we are already talking about physical damage to the throat, the walls of the stomach, possibly suffocation, since the swollen larynx will block the flow of air.
Taste Reviews
Oddly enough, there are quite a lot of responses to this and other cocktails from Moscow - Petushki on the Web. Someone tried not only to reproduce, but also to taste the "Tear of the Komsomol member". Almost all reviews claim that in the end, according to the recipe proposed in the artwork, we got a strange drink with a not very pleasant and bright aroma. This is not surprising.
How can I change the original cocktail?
To begin with, it is worth noting the fact that most of the current variations of the original Komsomolka Tear cocktail are author's recipes, which are known only within the bartender’s social circle or were simply exposed as a joke. However, among them there are quite interesting options. For example, one of the variations involves combining vermouth and vodka one to one with lime juice in an amount of 5 mg. Depending on the preferences of the client, vermouth can be replaced by limoncello, someone prefers absinthe. In the case of the latter, you need to use a tincture of pale green with cane sugar. This version of the Komsomolka Tear cocktail is drunk after dropping absinthe onto a sugar cube, which must be dissolved in warm vodka.
Another option involves the use of herbal tincture, made by hand, for example:
- 20 ml of tincture on lavender or lily of the valley;
- 40 ml of vodka;
- a drop of lemon juice.
The drink is served chilled, but without ice. In some cases, Soviet cocktails, "Komsomolka Tear" were no exception, became a real reason for speculation by clubs. For example, the script of an event for a drinking room wanders around the Web, where the USSR just acts as a key design vector before perestroika with cocktails bottled from cologne.
Do they remember today?
Oddly enough, the cocktail "Tear of the Komsomol" from "Moscow - Petushki" is known not only in modern Russia, but also among young people. Despite the fact that the opus is somewhat immoral in terms of the behavior of the lyrical hero, it is nevertheless recommended for review as a living example of the harmful effects of bad habits on, in general, a good person. Together with the satire and the absurdity of what is happening, this will allow a completely different look at that period in the history of the largest state.