Obscure Ingredients – Borsci Elisir

The initial idea for this drink came from Amor Y Amargo bartender Bruce Shultz. On our honeymoon in 2022 I asked him what he uses the Borsci Elisir for. He replied that he uses it in Rum Manhattans, so this is what I did, too.

Borsci is one of those obscure ingredients nobody ever heard of. I thought that I read about it in an article about Italian Amaros worth checking out, but I cannot find that article anymore. Yet, I discovered the bottle in our local Italian supermarket and just bought it. The original recipe comes from the Caucasus Mountains and is kept a secret. The base seems to be rum with a blend of herbs, spices and roots like cinnamon, cloves, liquorice, saffron and wormwood.

Just your average Rum Manhattan

For the rum base, I combined the Kill Devil 15-year-old Guyana rum with the Plantation O.F.T.D. Since I imagined the cherry flavour of the Byrrh Quinquina working well with the rest, I used it instead of sweet vermouth. Finally, I added a few healthy dashes of Dashfire Chai bitters.

The ‘Born Astray’ starts with a combination of Guyana and Jamaica rum flaovurs. Next, the Borsci with its Zabaione taste kicks in. The Byrrh and the bitters linger on somewhere in the back. This is quite tastey and a welcome variation from your average Rum Manhattan.