Kretchma – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’

1 part Lemon Juice 

2 parts Creme de Cacao 

3 to 5 parts Vodka 

1 or 2 dashes of Grenadine to each drink 

Shake with cracked ice. If the grenadine is omitted, this drink is also called the Nmitchka.

To someone who really should, but doesn’t speak Russian, Kretchma sounds damn Russian, just like Nmitchka. The vodka in the drink adds a bit of weight to this, and then I found a truly wonderful song by a Theodore Bikel, he starts by saying the song is about a club that he ‘used to go there and spend money I didn’t have on champagne I didn’t want’, which reminds me of so many many nights out, in fact it took me 38 years to work out I didn’t like champagne, by which stage due to a Russian wife it was way too late. A link to the song is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtLr2-bOLiU

If you’ve ever been drinking with singing Russians it will remind you of every tune, and the lyrics are fantastic.

I decided that due to its eastern sounding name it would be perfect for tonight, we’re showing all of the Croatian games from the world cup (there’s a Goat on their flag – it just made sense), they’re a really fun crowd so I’m hoping they do well.

The drink itself is good, I love the chocolate and citrus combo that I first stumbled across this year in the Vodka Special (8^th January), and this is no different. The Grenadine is just there for some colour, and I went on the dialled up 5 parts vodka version, I think that 3 won’t be enough to balance out the sweetness of the cacao.

Great drink, well worth a try, oh, and Kretchma is German for an eating and drinking place.