Has anyone tried making their own Fassionola?

So it seems that many people have got some fassionola in their hands. But has anyone tried to create the same flavorprofile by themselves? It is said that the flavor is pretty much orange and cherry or raspberry. So I was thinking of just making a simple syrup infused with some grated orange rind and a bunch of cherries or raspberries. I've heard it's quite intense so maybe 2:1 syrup would do. Would that work? Are there other noticable flavors in fassionola? Which one is dominant, orange or the berries? The color seems to be quite dark, so most likely the berries. But which one is it actually, cherry or raspberry or both? I thought I could try to make some kind of fassionola, so I'll gladly hear some advices from people lucky enough to have the real stuff. Thanks in advance.

Don't go to that trouble. There is now a viable substitute that's nearly identical:

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/11/20/mai-kai-cocktail-review-cobra-kiss-is-an-exotic-taste-explosion-guaranteed-to-strike-your-fancy/#fassionola

Yes, I frequently check that site and I read about that too. The problem is that there is no good quality grenadine around here, and no raspberrysyrup whatsoever. And I don't feel like ordering something overseas, if I can make it myself. Otherwise I'd just order the fassionola. Thanks anyway!

On 2012-08-06 05:02, mamelukkikala wrote:
Yes, I frequently check that site and I read about that too. The problem is that there is no good quality grenadine around here, and no raspberrysyrup whatsoever. And I don't feel like ordering something overseas, if I can make it myself. Otherwise I'd just order the fassionola. Thanks anyway!

Where are you located?

It's my recipe for Fasionola posted at the Atomic Grog.

I get Smucker's Red Raspberry Syrup (the kind you put over ice cream, real thick) at Publics Supermarket. It has national distribution. You should be able to find it. Where are you located? I just googled and it's manufactured in Ohio.

I make my own grenadine from Pom brand pomegranate juice and simple syrup, real fast and easy.

2 EZ versions

cold process
1 cup pomegranate juice, 1 cup sugar, shake until ALL the sugar is dissolved (this takes a lot of shaking. add 1oz of grain alcohol or hi-proof vodka (optional but makes it last longer.

hot process
2 cups pomegranate juice, to a slow boil and reduce to 1 cup add 1 cup of sugar stir until it is dissolved add 1 oz of hi-proof alcohol.

They both end up with unique taste. The cold is light and bright the hot is darker and deeper cooked flavor.

I make a combo of the 2 and it's more complicated if you feel up to it.

1 cup of POM slow boil (simmer) reduce to 1/2 cup add 1/2 cup of sugar and dissolve.
put 1/8 cup of POM and 1/8 cup of sugar in a Mason jar and shake the hell out of it until the sugar is disolved.
Combine the 2 mixes and add 1 tsp orange flower water and 1/2 oz everclear grain alcohol.

[ Edited by: theoutoftownlocal 2012-08-07 06:21 ]

I live in Finland, which is one of the worst countries when it comes quality drinking. Alcohol is ridiculously expensive (and the selection is terrible too. yeah, we have one state-owned business that handles all the booze), and bar suplies are non-existant.

theoutoftownlocal: Never seen raspberry syrup in Finland. Some markets hold some syrups by Monin, but those are mostly some toffee and chocolate syrups. Fruitsyrups have to be ordered. I also use the same way to make grenadine, just pomegrenade juice and sugar. Turns out quite good.

I was a bit impatient so I made something already. Made a minibatch. About 1/2cup sugar, 1/4cup water, grated rind of about half an orange, and a handful of cherries, slightly bruised. Simmered untill sugar had dissolved, waited for it to cool, let it sit in the fridge for about 3 hours and strained and bottled. It came out pretty much the way I expected, cherry-flavored syrup with a hint of orange. I chose cherries over raspberries, because I've seen some old fassionola adds and they describe the flavor of the red brand being cherry. I'll try it today in a Cobra's Kiss, to see how it stands out.

Seeing that your already into making syrups-I looked on line and this recipe seems to me to be the closest, it needs to thick and rich.
Ingredients

3 cups fresh red raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions

In a pan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and water and cook over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow mixture to simmer for about 5 - 8 minutes, stirring very frequently to avoid sticking and burning.

Remove berry mixture from heat, and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.

Compare it to your Cherry mix.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing down on the solids with the backside of a spoon to extract the liquid.

Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Makes about 1 cup of Raspberry Syrup.

[ Edited by: theoutoftownlocal 2012-08-07 09:26 ]

And as a tip, you might want to look for raspberry syrup in the aisles with the honey and coffee syrups as well as the aisle with ice cream toppings. My local Publix was "all out" until I happened to find some there!

theoutoftownlocal: Thanks! I'll try that one next.

TikiHardBop: I've checked the honey aisle. Nothing in there. And they don't sell coffee syrups around here. Though, there's one local coffee place here that sells some syrups, but they're mostly cinnamon and stuff, no fruity stuff.

I just made a Cobra Kiss with my "fassionola". This is good, really good. I used to make it with passionfruit syrup and while that was good, this brings it to whole new heights. The flavor of the orange rind really enhances the orange juice here. The cherry flavor isn't that strong, but it's there. Really enjoying this one. The color is way off though. Can't wait to try the raspberry-version. Though I might add some orange rind in there too, just because it's awesome.

The coffee syrup in beachbum berry is pretty easy to make

When you strain the bean, make sure you do an initial strain then, a 2nd strain through a sieve and also a cheese cloth or you will get particles

It is basically brandy coffee beans and a few other items

small hand foods for good grenadine, it is expensive but worth it

If you want comercial stuff that is a bit cheaper sonoma syrup is solid

FYI, there's a new recipe that just surfaced that I've posted over on the other fassionola thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=5331&forum=10&start=60