Star of Yugoslavia

Prep time: 2 minutes
Serves: 2

Sljivovica, internationally known as slivovitz, is a potent drink distilled from fermented plums and produced throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Lee has traveled to the Balkans about 6 times and finds the region and its history extremely interesting. On every visit, people have poured him homemade versions of Šljivovica and he says, "It has a very nice flavor but will definitely put hair on your chest."  My grandmother had a plum tree in her backyard growing up so I associate plums with summer. I couldn’t wait to pick them every year when they were ripe. This is an interesting mix of ingredients both Lee and I are partial to.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces Sljivovica

• 1½ ounces orange liqueur

• juice for ½ a lemon

• 1 plum (use 2 ounces plum puree for recipe)

• 1 ounce honey simple syrup (1 part honey + 1 part warm water)

Preparation

1. Peel plum, remove the pit and puree in a blender. Reserve 2 ounces for this recipe. Save the remaining for future use.

2. Fill a shaker with ice.

3. Add, Sljivovica, lemon juice, orange liqueur, 2 ounces of honey simple syrup, and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

4. Strain into a small glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

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