Whiskey Fireball: review, history, composition of the drink + 2 recipes at home
Fireball (Fireball) not a liqueur at all, but an original Canadian whiskey, which is often confused with liqueur. This is due to the fact that during the cooking process, cinnamon and other herbs and spices are added to it.
The history of the creation of Fireball
The drink itself, as well as its history of creation, are very extraordinary. Even the company that launched the production of alcohol on an industrial scale emerged from a simple bar. Let's deal with everything in order.
And let's start with the whiskey itself. 1980, when Canada was hit by an abnormally cold winter, people tried to find at least some options for warming up. Someone was heating fireplaces, someone was knitting warm clothes, and a bartender from a simple street bar got the idea to develop a drink that could warm you up and save you from hypothermia in no time. And after just a few attempts, the Fireball was born.
For many years, the recipe for this drink was known only in narrow circles of famous Canadian bartenders. This lasted until someone smuggled several bottles of scorching cinnamon whiskey out of Canada in 1986.
And thanks to Sazerac, which received the unique rights to produce Fireball, it became famous all over the world.
The company's history began with a cocktail invented by a pharmacist back in 1838. It consisted of only two ingredients: brandy and absinthe. In the mid-nineteenth century, a bar-café "Sazerac" was built on the site of the pharmacy, and this unusual but simple cocktail was added to its menu, and it was named after the bar.
And in 1869, Thomas Gandy bought the coffee shop and launched the production of alcoholic beverages under the Sazerac brand.
Composition and production technology of Fireball
On an industrial scale, 1 liter of Canadian whiskey contains 10% natural cinnamon, 5% anise seeds, 5% vanilla, 5% cardamom, 5% liquorice, and 0.5% cayenne pepper.
Then this spicy mixture is infused for 3-4 months and as a result, the drink acquires a rich amber color, with a mild spicy taste and a pronounced cinnamon aroma.
Recipe for making Fireball at home
This recipe is most often found in English-language publications. This is where we will begin our acquaintance with the homemade liqueur Fireball.
Ingredients
Whiskey (ideally Canadian) - 750 ml
Cinnamon stick - 5 pcs.
Dried chili peppers - 5 pcs.
Sugar syrup - 20 ml
The method of preparation
5 days in a warm, dark place, you need to keep a container with whiskey, cinnamon and with sugar syrup.
After 5 days, add chili pepper to the cinnamon tincture. Leave for two more days.
Now take a sample, if there is a spicy sharpness, then strain the infusion and pass it through a filter. If the drink seems too sharp, you can add a little more sugar syrup if you wish.
Before tasting, let the liquor rest for 3-5 days in a cool place.
Fireball spiced liqueur
Ingredients
Whiskey (ideally Canadian) - 800 ml
Ground cinnamon - 10 g
Chili pepper - 1 pc.
Vanilla sugar - 5 g
Black peppercorns - 10 pcs.
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp.
Anise seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Water - 100 g
Granulated sugar - 100 g
Method of preparation
Grind the black pepper a little in a mortar or with a rolling pin, and cut the chili into slices.
Then put all the spices and prepared two types of pepper in a glass container and pour whiskey. Insist in a dark place for at least two days.
After 2 days, take a sample, if the drink is spicy enough, it must be filtered through a small strainer.
Cooking the basic one sugar syrup.
After the syrup has cooled, pour it into the tincture in portions. It is important that the drink is slightly sweet, not cloyingly sweet.
Now we pass the finished Fireball liqueur through a filter and pour it into a glass bottle.
Before tasting, we stand for several days in a cool place.
Update: 24.01.2018
Category: Whiskey and Bourbon