Swizzle

OK, I tried to search for this before opening a new thread, but couldn't find anything. So I'm hoping I'm not repeating something already discussed.

I was looking through "Sippin' Safari" yesterday and I noticed something I hadn't really paid attention to before. In the photo of the notebook page showing the original recipe of Zombie Punch it lists "swizzle or falernum." And I paused and thought, "Swizzle? An alternative to falernum?"

So I come to you oh mighty cocktailians: What is Swizzle? I presume it's a syrup concoction of some sort, and similar to falernum. But I have no idea what the contents of swizzle are. And a Google search didn't help much either.

I've never heard of any syrup generally known as "swizzle". A swizzle is a type of drink, and also refers to the little stick that once was used to mix it up. My personal favorite is a Queen's Park Swizzle. Most swizzles have sugar and lime juice, along with lots of rum, and "swizzling" it with ice will frost the outside of the glass.

So, my theory is the "swizzle" referred to in the notebook was a syrup of sugar and lime juice, probably mixed ahead of time, in the bar. It would save a step, when making swizzles or other drinks - important, because it got intensely busy in that bar.

A lime and sugar syrup ("swizzle"?) would be a reasonable sub for falernum, if you were out of the latter.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-07-28 10:36 ]

Rum swizzle on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Swizzle

quote:
Different bartenders have varying interpretations of this drink. One of the older recipes was presented in the 1941 Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender Guide.[10] Gosling's Rum, which is based in Bermuda, publishes a recipe with two different rums from their brand line.[11] Rum, fruit juice (often including lime, and orange and pineapple juice), and a flavored sweetener such as falernum or grenadine are the most consistent ingredients,[11][12][13] and the drink is generally shaken or stirred with ice.
/quote

So, I'm wondering if instead of swizzle and falernum being different things, it's just different names for the same thing; a flavored sweetner. So instead of having someone asking "what's a swizzle?" or "what's falernum?", they would know that they could use either....since it's the same thing.

howlinowl

You rang? :lol:

As for what is, or what's a swizzle, i have no idea either.

[ Edited by: swizzle 2011-07-28 20:45 ]

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Take a Rum Swizzle or a Gin Swizzle, remove the alcohol, and what do you have? Pretty much lime juice and sugar syrup. Perhaps Donn Beach had a "Don's Swizzle Mix" that was something like falernum.

Swizzle - Sorry to wake you. Go back to bed. :)

apparently, there is a product out there called "bermuda swizzle mix:"

what's in it, or how long it's been around, I don't know, but one of youse can research it foither...