Dance Bear – Trä•kál Patagonian Spirit
I am not a fan of tomato juice, neither while flying nor in cocktails. However, things are completely different when it comes to carrot juice. So, I came up with a liquorice forward cocktail which uses it.
Torben from Trinklaune was so kind to send me a sample (with googly eyes) of the Patagonian spirit Trä•kál. The spirit uses local apples and pears for the base alcohol. Afterwards, seven herbs and four berries are redistilled with it. The botanicals are Canelo, laurel, Maqui berries, Murta berries, mint, Paramela, Sauco berries, Tepa and water mint. Trä•kál is bottled at an ABV of 42 %.
Fruity, herbal and a lot of umami
I get why bartenders all over the world love Trä•kál. The spirit offers a unique combination of fruity and herbal notes with a lot of ‘dirty’ flavours. You get some vegetal notes alongside a certain tar-like characteristic. For me, the taste is a bit too much for neat sipping, but it will work extremely well in cocktails.
Typical flavour pairing
When trying the Trä•kál, I got the impression that I should pair it with some strong flavours. On top of that, I wanted to use carrot juice in a cocktail for a while. Additionally, I went for the classic combo of ginger and honey. Finally, I also added some bitters.
0,75 cl Hoos Salmiaki Liqueur
2 Dashes Bob’s Coriander Bitters
2 Dashes The Seventh Sense Liquorice Bitters
3 cl Carrot Juice
0,75 cl Lemon Juice
1,5 cl Ginger & Honey Syrup
Garnish:Lemon Twist; Song: Snakadaktal – Dance Bear;
First, you will notice a certain fruitiness in the ‘Dance Bear’ cocktail. Then the typical combination of carrots, ginger, lemon and honey kicks in. However, after a while darker notes of liquorice and spices take over. This drink is refreshing, but at the same time has a deeper flavour profile.
