Feketeribizli

After I return to Portland, there is one potable that I will crave forevermore.  That drink, dusky and tart/sweet, is black currant juice.  Also called cassis, schwarze johannesbeere, feketeribizli, or the Latin Ribes nero, this juice beats the bejesus out of pomegranate, cranberry or grape juice.  Health benefits of black currant juice include anti-inflammatory properties, anti-oxidant properties, and possible cancer fighting properties.  In fact studies have shown that black currants, once illegal in the United States, (apparently because of a disease they were thought to carry that affected pine trees) have more total vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries.  The flavor reminds me of a harmonious marriage of cranberries and blueberries.
  Now, I am certainly not much of a liquor drinker, and vodka is especially unkind to me, but I have come up with a variation of the Stoli Sea Breeze for my vodka loving pals, replacing the cranberry juice with blackcurrant.  It is called the Duna Breeze, although if you've ever been downwind of certain stretches of the Danube, this may not sound very tasty.  The recipe follows for any friends who wish to try it (Portlanders can get black currant juice at Edelweiss on 17th, just off Powell Blvd.)
      
                                                                    DUNA BREEZE

                    Fill a bourbon glass with ice. Add a shot or two, depending on your fortitude,
                    of Polish vodka, then fill the rest of the glass with feketeribizli.  You could add
                    club soda if you wish.  Garnish glass with a slice of lemon and enjoy.  Let me

                    know how it turns out! x