Nov. 28--Would you like some Romanian plum brandy with your Macanese cuisine? Chef Abe Conlon of Logan Square's Fat Rice thinks you might.
It's an odd story that began when Fat Rice's handyman, Ioan "Onu" Aldea, made his annual trip home to his farmhouse in Romania. He returned to Chicago with a plastic water bottle filled with homemade grappa tucked into his luggage, and later brought it into the restaurant for Conlon to try.
"When I grew up in Massachusetts there was definitely a culture of older folks like my great-grandfather who used to make wine and moonshine in (the) basement," Conlon said. "So when I saw this stuff I thought, 'this is going to be horrendous.' But we did a little shot of it and I was totally blown away. It was one of the best grappas I'd ever had and it came out of a water bottle wrapped in tin foil."
Sensing Conlon's interest, Aldea began bringing back different creations including a bottle of homemade tuica, a popular Romanian spirit made from fermented plums. Pronounced SWEE-ka, the spirit is often homemade and commonly served before meals and on special occasions.
After sharing Aldea's tuica with some friends, Conlon had the idea that maybe they could distill their own version here in Chicago.
There was one problem: Aldea didn't speak English. So, communicating through a translator when possible, Aldea's son when needed, and Google Translate the rest of the time, the pair set out to create a Midwestern version of the Eastern European drink.
Conlon and Aldea turned to Peter Klein at Seedling Farms in Michigan, who not only had plenty of plums but also lent his experience in cider-making to help them ferment the fruit. They then teamed up with Tremaine Atkinson, head distiller at West Loop's CH Distillery to help with the distilling and bottling.
For their version of tuica, Conlon, Aldea and Atkinson mixed their first distillation with the pit and the skin of the plums, with some peach pits and cherry pits added for complexity.
"This is the traditional method of making tuica and it imparts this gorgeous essence of fruit and bitter almond flavor as well as maraschino notes," Conlon says. "Even though it's completely clear it still delivers all the beautiful flavors of a ripe plum without the sweetness or acidity."
At 90 proof, Conlon adds one other thing: "It's definitely hot."
The limited edition spirit will be released Dec. 7th during a special Sunday night holiday market at the restaurant. (5 p.m.-9 p.m., 2957 W. Diversey Ave.) While available, you can pick up a bottle of Onu Tuica Romaneasca ($50) at Fat Rice, CH Distillery and Perman Wine Selections, a retailer just west of the distillery.
Fat Rice will also be offering pours of Onu at their bar. But it begs the question: Why serve a Romanian brandy at a Macanese restaurant?
"We focus on Macanese food which incorporates a lot of things, none of which are Romanian." Conlon says. "But I'm into all things made by heart and hand."
kmarlatt@tribpub.com
Twitter @kenneymarlatt
