FRACKVILLE, Pa. — There are many holiday traditions that will play out in the weeks ahead. In the coal region, that means making a unique specialty drink—Boilo.
Jon Meyer took The Pennsylvania Road to Schuylkill County for a tasting.
Here's the recipe from Paul Domalakes in Frackville. It's his family's recipe. He's of Lithuanian decent, carrying on the ethnic tradition:
Basic Boilo
- 1 bottle (750 ml) Four Queens (or clear moonshine if you can get it)
- 1 cup of honey- add more to taste up to 1 lb.
- 1 large orange - quartered
- 1 cinnamon stick (not ground cinnamon)
- 1-2 tablespoons of caraway seeds
- 12 peppercorns
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar- (add more to personal taste up to 3/4 cup)
- Pinch of allspice
Pour entire bottle of Four Queens into a stainless steel or enamel pot, warm over low heat uncovered.
DO NOT LET IT COME TO A BOIL
When whiskey is warm, not hot:
- Add honey
- Add cinnamon stick and peppercorns as the mixture warms
- Cut oranges into quarters (or eighths for more orange flavor),
- Squeeze the juice into the mixture and drop squeezed quarters into the pot.
- Add sugar
- Add caraway seeds
Stir the mixture frequently until ingredients, particularly sugar and honey, are blended. Increase the heat BUT DO NOT LET IT COME TO A BOIL.
Add extra honey and/or brown sugar if you think it needs to be smoother. Be careful not to make it too sweet. The Boilo will absorb sweetness and flavors as it heats and steeps later.
After heating for 1/2 hour or so, taste it, and if you like it, turn down the heat, cover the pot, and let it steep for 5-10 minutes.
Then uncover the pot and start taking out orange quarters, squeeze them again into the mixture, and put aside the squeezed quartered oranges as treats for later, or eat them right away.
Take out peppercorns and cinnamon stick.
Strain the mixture through a strainer into the original Four Queens bottle or any appropriate bottle. Make sure the peppercorns and cinnamon sticks are not in the bottle since their flavor will dominate.
The strainer will strain out most of the caraway and orange pulp. but I like to leave some residue in the bottle. Other people like to further strain it with cheesecloth to make a clearer Boilo, but if left in the bottle, the residue of the ingredients will continue to infuse BOILO creating an ever-developing wonderful flavor.
Serve right away, hot, and in small glasses, coffee cups, or, nowadays, there are specially crafted Boilo cups. Or put aside Boilo bottle for later. To reheat, Boilo put the bottle itself into a small pot of water and heat the water on a stovetop on medium to high heat. Or just microwave each cup. DO NOT LET IT BOIL.