April 01--There's a reason you've probably never heard of pacharan. The liqueur is made almost exclusively in the Navarre region of Spain, and much of it is drunk locally. But as more bartenders discover the charms of the deep red spirit -- sweet but not cloying, it's made from sloe berries, anise and small amounts of vanilla, coffee, cinnamon and sugar -- you may see it at a bar near you. In River North, restaurant The Kitchen is putting pacharan to good use in the Pacharan Flip ($12), a cocktail that marries the lush Spanish import Axta Pacharan with dashes of brandy, oloroso (Spanish for "scented") sherry, angostura bitters, nutmeg and a frothy egg top.
Former bar manager Patrick Sterling brought on the Axta Pacharan for development as a dessert pairing, and the staff adored it, says The Kitchen's beverage director Neal Neumann. "The dark cinnamon, coffee and jammy fruit notes made it such a pleasing addition to drinks," he says.
The term "flip" finds its origins in cocktails made using rum, beer and sugar and then warmed with a hot iron, which causes the drink to bubble and froth up or "flip," Neumann adds. "Eventually, bartenders discovered frothing, or 'flipping,' in cold drinks by adding a whole egg and shaking the living daylights out of it. Today, 'flip' is generally used in describing a drink with a whole egg addition."
That's how they do it at The Kitchen, making a creamy cocktail that's a total knockout.
The Kitchen, 316 N. Clark St., 312-836-1300, www.thekitchen.com/the-kitchen-chicago
Leah Pickett is a freelance writer.
