Keshmesh Old Fashioned

The story

Keshmesh is the raisin, and the raisin is the whole story of aragh: sun-dried Thompson grapes soaked, fermented and run through a copper still. Grape molasses, shireh, is the same grape taken the other way, boiled down instead of distilled, the dark syrup Malayer is famous for. Put the two back together and the spirit tastes more like itself than it does alone. The form is the simplest there is: nothing but the spirit, a spoon of sweetness, bitters and ice. A drop of orange-blossom water is the Iranian hand on the shoulder.

Method

1. Chill a rocks glass.
2. Stir the aragh, grape molasses syrup, bitters and orange-blossom water with ice for 25 seconds.
3. Strain over one large, clear ice cube.
4. Express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in.
5. Rest three golden raisins on a pick across the glass.

How it tastes

Dried fruit from both directions: the raisin bite of the spirit and the fig-and-caramel depth of the shireh, orange on the nose, a faint blossom at the end. Strong, slow, a drink for the end of the night.

Persian taste: shirin (sweet), warm

Pair it with

• Food: Walnuts, feta and lavash, or a plate of koobideh.
• Sweet: Raisins, dried mulberries and a square of sohan.
• Snack: Keshmesh-o-gerdoo, raisins and walnuts

Variations

Pisco

Pisco for a fruitier, softer glass.

Date

Date syrup (P13) instead of grape molasses for a southern, darker version.

Smoked

A rinse of peated whisky in the glass.

Balancing tips

• Shireh is sweet; 10 ml is plenty for 60 ml spirit.
• Strong aragh needs the full 25 seconds of stirring for dilution.
• Golden raisins look better; dark ones taste the same.

Allergens

• No common allergens.
• Contains alcohol. Please drink responsibly.

Development notes

• Status: original recipe draft v0.1, not yet taste-tested.
• Test grape molasses at 7.5 and 10 ml; test orange versus aromatic bitters.
• See the article: Aragh, the Persian raisin spirit.