Many tourists from Estonia bring as a souvenir a strong liquor called Vana Tallinn. The name of the alcoholic drink is translated as “Old Tallinn”. And although the liquor was invented relatively recently, in 1962, it really conveys the spirit of the capital of Estonia. The ancient city with cobbled streets and tiled roofs seems to appear before us with the first sip of a mug of drink. And you can even hear the cries of seagulls over the bay of Tallinn. In this article we will taste this liquor. How to serve it and what to drink with? Is it possible to create “Vana Tallinn” liquor at home? What is its composition? And what cocktails can be prepared with the addition of (or based on) Old Tallinn? Read about all this below.
What are the Old Tallinn liquors
The first sample of this product came out forty-five degrees. The creators of Vana Tallinn, Bernard Jurmo and Jaan Siimo, considered that such a fortress is inherent in the capital of Estonia. The classic drink has the color of dark chocolate and a touch of rum in Jamaica (which, incidentally, is included in its composition). Sharp notes of citrus are woven into a rich bouquet, softened by the convexity of vanilla. A small fraction of cinnamon gives the drink a pleasant warmth and pungency. When the main producer of Old Tallinn - the Liviko company - entered the European market, flanders of classic liquor were immediately created. So, for the hot Scandinavian guys appeared “Strong” - a fifty-degree drink. To please the inhabitants of Western Europe, the power of the "Classics" was reduced to forty. Such “Old Tallinn” is called “Original”. And finally, especially for the ladies, sixteen-degree liquor appeared with a delicate cream taste. And despite the fact that Estonians themselves, regardless of gender, prefer the classic “Old Tallinn”, this liquor is overgrown with variations. So, recently, in 2006, flannes of a sixteen percent drink with chocolate and orange cream liqueurs appeared. And quite new (2013) - "Winter" and "Summer". In the first, all kinds of spices are added, which makes the liquor with mulled wine akin. And Summer Lime is enriched with essential oils of citrus and mint.
Liquor "Vana Tallinn": how to drink
The culture of consumption of the drink is not as strict as it seems. Every Estonian will tell you that “Old Tallinn Classic” needs to drink solo. It is only allowed to add a few ice cubes to the glass. Serve such liquor in glasses for whiskey. However, this rule is violated by the Estonians themselves. In the cold season, Vana Tallinn, a high fortress, serves coffee. Moreover, to mix both drinks will be the guest. A cup of coffee and a glass of Old Tallinn are served separately. Cream liqueurs are an excellent tool for bartenders to make various cocktails. "Old Tallinn" goes well with other alcoholic drinks. Such cocktails are poured into glasses for long drinks.
Vana Tallinn: what to drink with
This liquor is not eaten with pickles. He had to drink really solo - in small sips in order to feel all the facets of the bouquet and enjoy a long aftertaste. If you use "Old Tallinn" with coffee, then here you can serve various desserts. Especially liquor is good with chocolate. In the Tallinn cafe, in the summer they are poured, like topping, a ball of ice cream. A winter drink can be eaten with gingerbread. Summer - with fruits. Well, in the variety of cocktails, which include “Vana Tallinn”, one must rely on one's own instinct. Olives can be served to shot drinks. Fancy longs include ice cream and desserts.
Cocktail Recipes. Coffee drink
Estonian liquor Vana Tallinn is ideally combined with syrups, juice, milk or cream, as well as other alcohol. This livability gives room for imagination. Since the climate in Estonia is favorable for warming drinks, bartenders have chosen to add liquor to hot coffee. The recipe for the simplest cocktail is as follows. In a cup with hot black coffee pour Old Tallinn liqueur into a thin stream. But lovers of makeup and latte did not remain offended. Soon there were recipes for cocktails based on coffee with milk. Pour into a heat-resistant high glass two hundred milliliters of hot arabica. Add a thin stream of 40 ml of “Old Tallinn”. Separately, whip warm milk into the foam. We decorate it with a cocktail. Sprinkle with chocolate crumbs or ground cinnamon. The same can be done with latte.
Refreshing cocktails
An ideal basis for these drinks will be the summer liqueur Vana Tallinn, also called Summer Lime. In fact, he himself looks like a cocktail - a sort of Estonian Mojito. But you can use the authentic 45-degree “Old Tallinn” and its more or less strong brothers. The simplest recipe for a refreshing cocktail is to mix clarified apple juice with liquor in equal proportions. A tall glass can be decorated with a star of carambola or a slice of lemon. Another cocktail recipe under the eloquent name of “Vana Tallinn Mojito”. Tear mint leaves into a glass, sprinkle with brown sugar, chop finely half the lime into it and grate it all well. Fill the container with crushed ice. In a circular motion, forty milliliters of “Old Tallinn”. Supplement the glass to the brim with soda. And finally, the recipe for a festive drink. Pour twenty milliliters of Old Tallinn liqueur into a chilled champagne glass . Tilt the glass forty-five degrees. Gently, along the edge, add champagne to the glass. It is necessary to try so that both liquids do not mix.
Is it possible to make Old Tallinn liquor at home
Estonians themselves claim that the recipe for a national alcoholic drink is kept in the strictest confidence. But do not forget that the first bottle of liquor was released in the Soviet Union. And GOST did not tolerate any magic and secrets. Therefore, there is nothing secret about how to prepare Vana Tallinn liquor. Its composition does not constitute anything particularly exotic. Instead of natural Jamaican rum, the Soviet producer was not shy about using extract or essence. Further, the composition included burnt sugar, which brought dark caramel color to the liquor. The desired strength was achieved by adding alcohol. Perfume was made using vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and citrus essential oils. As you can see, no five-year aging in Limousin oak sherry barrels or double distillation in special vats is required.
Homemade liquor recipe. Essence
Note that the modern producer, the Liviko company, makes Old Tallinn with the addition of natural rum, which, as you can see from the label, is added to at least the third part. To create “Vana Tallinn” at home, you need to carefully cut the orange peel from four tangerines and one large orange. Three zest, put a teaspoon (without top) with ground cinnamon and a pinch of vanillin. Pour it all with juice from half a lemon. Pour two hundred grams of sugar into a saucepan and moisten it with a small amount of water. We put on the fire. When the syrup is caramelized (it becomes dark brown and leaves long threads behind a spoon), we spread the aromatic zest into it. Dilute with a liter of alcohol diluted to fifty degrees. Shake and put for a week in a warm place. We filter out twice.
Making liquor
We got the essence. For one hundred milliliters of this concentrate, you need to take six hundred milliliters of Jamaican (preferably dark) rum, 300 ml of a fifty-degree solution of alcohol and syrup, brewed from half a glass of water and three hundred and fifty grams of sugar. All this should be mixed in a bottle. Tasting. Perhaps you need to add alcohol to the fortress, sugar or burnt caramel to improve color? If all the parameters suit us, we cork and let it brew for a week (or even better two). After that we decant Vana Tallinn liqueur through a tube to remove from the sediment. Once again, we filter the drink. And enjoy.