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Vana Tallinn is one of the most famous liqueurs in the western part of the former Soviet Union, an alcoholic symbol of Estonia, a kind of answer to Latvia with its Riga Balsam. Despite the semi-legendary flair and slightly pathetic attitude towards this drink – the legacy of the scarce Soviet past is affecting – Vana Tallinn can be made at home, with simple and affordable ingredients, since its recipe has already been unraveled and tested by enthusiasts.
“Vana Tallinn” is a very successful brainchild of the Soviet alcohol industry, a drink that was both an excellent souvenir from “our abroad”, a solid anniversary gift, and a means of “solving problems” in the offices of bureaucrats. Today we will talk in detail about the Old Tallinn liqueur – its not very long, but surrounded by a halo of artificially created myths history, find out how and with what it is drunk, and, of course, we will learn how to make Vana Tallinn liqueur on our own at home.
The “mystery” of the origin of the Vana Tallinn liqueur recipe
God, how much rubbish is written in these your Internets regarding the history of liquor! Here you have the ancient alchemists who invented the potion of eternal youth, and the Ülemiste lake, which once overflowed and flooded the ancient caves in which the ingredients for this very potion were stored (what, I wonder? Sugar color and rum extract?), And the stolen princesses, and almost not dragons…
But one “legend” shocked me so much that I will even quote it in full:
“In the XNUMXth century, Tallinn was going through hard times – invaders from… Jamaica attacked Estonia! The city was besieged, and its defenders, defending themselves, threw whatever they had to at the damned usurpers – even fruits came into play: lemons, oranges, tangerines.
As a result, a fire broke out, the barrels of rum seized by the invaders caught fire, mixed with citrus fruits, and when the Jamaicans retreated and the fire subsided, the locals discovered that the rum had turned into a marvelous fragrant drink.
I can’t even write – I sit and laugh. What?! Estonians of the XNUMXth century throwing oranges from the walls? Invaders from Jamaica? So I imagine these drowsy warriors under the tricolor with the image of Jah going on the attack – each cigarette is in their teeth, a bottle of rum is in their hands, and the buglers are playing “No Woman, No Cry” in a loud voice …
In fact, everything is very prosaic. The recipe for the liqueur, later called “Old Tallinn” was patented in 1962, it was created by Jaan Siimo and Bernard Jurmo, technologists of the Estonian company Liviko, which is still the only producer of the drink. Well, except for you and me. Initially, there was only one version of the liquor – 45-degree, the most popular both in Estonia itself and throughout the Union. Other versions appeared later:
- 40-degree Authentic, revered in Western Europe;
- 50-degree for hot Scandinavian guys (it’s called, “Sturdy”);
- Vana Tallinn Winter Spice with cardamom, nutmeg, anise and ginger;
- very popular in a variety of cocktails creamy Vana Tallinn Cream with a strength of only 16%;
- and other representatives of the “ladies'” subfamily of 16 ° – Orange Cream, Chocolate Cream and Coffee Cream with the corresponding tastes.
Further, we will only talk about the “that same”, Soviet, original, 45-degree version with a taste of rum, a bright caramel note, a background citrus aftertaste and light aromas of cinnamon and vanilla.
Vana Tallinn liqueur at home
On any website, you will read that “the exact recipe for Vana Tallinn liqueur is kept in the strictest confidence.” That’s how it is, but not quite – in the USSR, for it, as well as for other alcoholic beverages, there were GOSTs, in which the recipe was described, which is called “from and to”.
Only here is the trouble – in the Union they did not hesitate to shove rum extract into the drink from the heart, but this is still chemistry. It is known that modern liquor is made with rum – you can read on the labels in Google. Please note – not “on rum”, but precisely “with rum”, in the composition it is listed only in the third position, after alcohol and sugar. If you, like me, are confused by the use of essences, use as much rum as your wallet allows, optimally – a third. Anyone will do, even cheap ones, better – dark, the main thing is that he has a characteristic rum “smell”.
And one more thing – citrus fruits. According to the classics, orange peel oil should be included in the composition. In the article about kyummel, we have already figured out how to replace orange, the classic version is tangerine, better – tangerine in half with a pomelo.
This recipe, read on the homedistiller forum, is designed for 10 liters of the finished product, for which 1 liter of concentrate is first made, which is then diluted with vodka and sugar. The portion of the ingredients is small, so it is much more convenient.
Concentrate recipe Vana Tallinn
- 1 liter 50 degree grade;
- 200 grams of sugar + a little water for caramel;
- 4 medium tangerines;
- one large orange;
- 1-2 lemons;
- cinnamon stick 3-4 cm or a teaspoon without a hill of ground;
- vanilla – 3 pods or vanilla – 1/6 teaspoon;
- rum essence – 30 ml (not needed if using rum).
With cooking, everything is quite simple. Carefully cut the zest from citrus fruits – so as not to capture the white bitter peel, we only need a colored shell, which contains aromatic oils. Add to this finely chopped cinnamon and vanilla. Squeeze juice from half a lemon.
We burn the syrup almost to black, add to the zest and pour alcohol with essence. Now the whole thing needs to be shaken well and put in a warm place for 7-10 days, after which it is well filtered, preferably twice. Everything, the concentrate for vana tallinn is ready.
Preparation of liqueur
To prepare the liquor itself, you need to take 100 ml of our concentrate and add 900 grams of 50-degree alcohol to it (or sort with rum in a ratio of 2: 1), as well as a syrup made from 350 g of sugar and 100-150 ml of water. Mix everything well and try. Lack of flavor and aroma? Add concentrate little by little. Little color? Make more caramel.
After the taste suits you, the liquor needs to be defended for at least another week, as it may precipitate. After that, decant through a straw and filter if necessary. Everything!
Simplified cooking method
To prepare at home, the recipe for Old Tallinn liqueur can be simplified a little more – take 2 liters of vodka and 1 liter of rum (in this case, it is better to find strong rum, 56-60 degrees), mix, add zest and other ingredients there (of course, their number must be reduced by a factor of three) and insist for 10-14 days, after which – filter, add sugar syrup, let rest for another week and consume!
How to drink Vana Tallinn and cocktails with it
It is customary to use this liquor in its pure form, as well as add it to coffee, black and herbal tea, punches and other hot drinks. What to drink cold Vana Tallinn with? It goes well with apple, lemon, pineapple juice, vanilla syrup, vermouth, champagne (20 ml of liquor per glass of dry sparkling wine will give you the Royal Tallinn cocktail, and the usual semi-sweet, mixed with liquor in equal proportions – the Hammer and Sickle cocktail ). Snacking liquor is best with chocolate, creamy desserts and fresh citrus fruits.
There are some more interesting cocktails that include “Old Tallinn”
Cocktail Coffee Vana Tallinn / Vana Tallinn Coffee
Hot black coffee with liqueur and cream:
- Americano coffee – 150 ml
- liqueur “Vana Tallinn” – 40 ml
- whipped cream – 2 tbsp. l.
- grated chocolate – for decoration
Preheat glass for hot cocktails. Pour in hot coffee, add liqueur and stir. Place whipped cream on top, decorate with grated chocolate.
Cocktail Cold lips / Cold Lips
Long drink with an intriguing name:
- Old Tallinn – 20 ml
- light rum – 20 ml
- cranberry juice – 80 ml
- 2 strawberries
Shake rum, liqueur and cranberry juice with ice in a shaker, pour everything into a highball glass. A classic decoration is a strawberry on the rim, you can also decorate with a sugar crunch and / or a twist of lime zest.
Cocktail Old Thomas / Old Thomas
Strong and tasty cocktail. Served in a glass sour:
- brandy – 60 ml
- “Old Tallinn” – 20 ml
- lemon juice – 2 tsp
- orange juice – 1 tsp
Shake all ingredients in a shaker, strain into a glass. Serve without ice.
Cocktail Three Sisters / Three Sisters
A variation on the theme of the Two Sisters cocktail with absinthe and vermouth (and the architectural ensemble of the first half of the XNUMXth century in the historical center of Tallinn – прим. ред.):
- Tallinn Bath – 25 ml
- Campari – 25 ml
- Rosso vermouth – 25 ml
Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice, strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon wedge.
Cocktail Venus / Venus
A simple and beautiful cocktail with Vana Tallinn:
- Old Tallinn – 40 ml
- ginger ale – 120 ml
- lime juice – 10 ml
- bitter Angostura – 1 desh
- Orange peel
Mix all ingredients in a tall highball with ice, drizzle with orange peel essential oils.
All of the above cocktails can be made with homemade Vana Tallinn liqueur prepared according to our recipe!
Thank you for this enlightening and useful information. The story or “legend” about an invasion of Jamaicans is a very crazy one. i live in Dominican Republic and got a couple of bottles of Vana Tallinn as a gift from Estonian friends. But I am running out of liquor and thought about looking for the recipe to make my own production. I will try the recipe that you present here and comment about my results after the product is finished. Your post is the only document that I could find that has a recipe for a homemade version of this liqueur. Thanks for your valuable and creative effort!