Topping off a perfect Shabbat meal

By Donald H. Harrison

Donald H. Harrison
Donald H. Harrison

two liqueur samplesSAN DIEGO—Frieda and Dr. Israel Barken had family, machatunim (relatives of in-laws) and friends over for Shabbat dinner, and Frieda, who loves to cook, felt perhaps she had shorted the guests, having prepared only 17 different dishes instead of what is for her the more typical 25. As we ate our food, and drank various beverages, every one of us felt like royalty. When Frieda prepares it, you know you are going to experience everything that a Sabbath meal is supposed to be. It enhanced a special time, when we separate ourselves from the rest of the week.

For after the meal, I had arranged a tasting of two liqueurs produced by Sukkah Hill Spirits of Los Angeles, but before I tell you the results, I have to give you a list of the dishes that Frieda prepared, so you can get a sense of how gastronomically contented we all were by the time the liqueurs were sampled.

We started dinner with blessings over the candles, a kosher wine from Baron Herzog and a fresh-baked challah, and then the plates began arriving at the table as my eyes grew bigger and bigger.   There was Israeli salad, daikon salad, sweet carrots and peas, green beans with roasted tomatoes, yellow rice with toasted almonds, roasted potatoes with oil and garlic, corn on the cob, hummus, pita, bourekas filled with potatoes and caramelized onions, sweet fresh carrots cooked in honey, Egyptian baked fish (in tomato and jalapeno sauce), and pulled beef. To drink, Frieda served water with mint, and iced tea flavored with mango and passion fruit. And yes, there was also dessert, red and black grapes, and strawberry cake.

So, as you might imagine, everyone was quite full and happy when we broke out the Sukkah Hill Spirits for sampling. From little sample bottles, the size you get at your airlines seat, we first poured over ice the etrog liquor, made from that same large fruit (citron) that we Jews hold with our lulavs (date palm fronds) and two other species and wave in the various directions during the holiday of Sukkot, which will be next celebrated from sundown October 8 through October 15.

The Barkens’ grandchildren, at this point, were excused from the table to play under the watchful eye of their father, Derren Barken of San Diego

The first comment made was negative: “It doesn’t appeal to my taste,” said Irv Brooks, visiting San Diego from Walnut Creek, California. But as positive reviews began coming in from other guests, Irv relented somewhat. “There’s something about alcoholic beverages that I can’t stand the smell, but once you get it into your mouth it is okay.”

His wife, Yardena, an Israeli whom he met in the early 1970s while on a group hike at Mount Sinai, announced that she liked the taste. “It tastes very good,” she said. “It has a little sharp flavor.”

Their daughter, Keren, who is the wife of Derren, said next: “I like it actually. I don’t drink stuff like this normally. My lips like it, and my throat likes it, but my tongue is not really sure. I’ll keep sipping. There is something very interesting about it!”

Frieda, the gourmet cook, was pleased: “It has a bit of a burn going down,” she said. “But it leaves you warm and nice.”

That sparked Israel’s interest, who hadn’t tasted the etrog liqueur until then. “Let me have some too!” he said. And then, “I like it; it’s warm and nice, tingly. I like it!”

Yardena said, “I like it, I really like it. It is very good. What you are calling a burn, I don’t feel that.”

And my wife, Nancy, declared approvingly: “It also has a good after taste.”

Next, new cups with ice were prepared, and into it was poured another liqueur, “Besamim,” which in Hebrew means aromas.

Said Yardena: “It smells like a Yemenite dish, with cardamom.”

Said I: “It smells like a havdalah spice box.”

Irv pronounced: “This is better than the first one.”

Frieda: “It tastes like cloves.”

Yardena: “Cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.”

Israel: “Not as sweet as before, but it leaves an aromatic smell.”

Yardena: “And a very strong after taste.”

Keren: I don’t like the taste, but I like to smell it.”

Myself: “Makes you want to sing Eliyahu Ha Navi (A havdalah prayer) ”

Keren: “I think this would be great to spike an apple cider punch with.”

Yardena: “I definitely preferred the first. This one the after taste is too strong.”

Nancy: “This first one, the after taste is wonderful.”

Okay, it is pretty obvious that we didn’t get 100 percent agreement, but clearly there was consensus that these two liqueurs helped to enhance an already wonderful Shabbat meal.

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com

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