Monday, December 23, 2013

The Oshkosh Flip

As we all know, the holiday season is a decidedly mixed bag. It can be fun, disgusting, heart warming and stomach turning – sometimes all at the same time. Just like the Oshkosh Flip.

A Flip is a beer cocktail that’s been around since at least the late 1600s and probably much earlier. It was popular in colonial-era America, but the ale-based Flip began to fade in the mid-1800s as the country’s tastes shifted in favor of lager beer. With the American craft beer movement predicated upon ale, perhaps it’s time we revive the Flip.

A basic Flip entails the heating of a dark ale that’s been given a dose of sugar and a dash of nutmeg or ginger. The warmed ale blend is then spiked with a mixture of egg yolk and rum that’s been beaten to a froth. Since we’re doing an Oshkosh Flip, I thought we ought to make the cocktail more in line with our native tastes. Rum? To hell with that. We’re from Wisconsin, we drink brandy!

Here’s what you'll need and how to make it:

  • 8 oz. of dark ale – go with a porter or stout. I wanted to make mine a true Oshkosh Flip, so I used the Breakfast Stout from Fox River Brewing Company. I liked the roasted coffee notes this beer added. You can find Breakfast Stout in the cooler at Fratellos. But if you can’t get that, just about any stout or porter should work. 
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • Stir it all together in a pan and heat it gently.
  • While your sweetened ale warms, pour 1 ounce of brandy over a 1 egg yolk in a separate bowl and whip it to a froth.
  • When the ale mixture has reached the temperature of blood, add the egg yolk/brandy and stir together.
  • Pour slowly into a goblet and enjoy.

I was surprised by how much I liked this. Warm beer and raw egg may sound like a nasty combination, but the drink was tasty and oddly fortifying. Maybe it was the warmed alcohol going to my head, but on a cold winter night, this is just about right.

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