Christmas music flowing from the kitchen of one Frackville home usually means one thing: Dianne Andruscavage is brewing her boilo.
“The straining is the fun part,” she says. “When it all starts mixing together, it’s so good.”
Boilo is a spiced, citrus-filled whiskey drink typically served warm during the winter holidays. It’s a Schuylkill County staple inspired by the Lithuanian liqueur Krupnikas.
“I think because of the winter, it was so cold, so they made this nice, warm drink so you could just sit around and drink and get warm,” Andruscavage said. “It warms you up.”
Andruscavage has been making boilo for about 10 years using a recipe from her cousin. She makes several pots of boilo every year and bottles it in empty wine bottles and mason jars to bring to holiday parties and give out as gifts.
“I’ll take it to people for Christmas presents … friends and neighbors. Last night I gave some to my neighbor and we did a swap. I gave him boilo and he gave me bean soup,” she said.
“I love it. I think it’s so much fun, because everybody just loves getting it.”
For Andruscavage, giving out boilo serves another purpose - spreading the Schuylkill County tradition around the region.
Thanks to her husband, WVIA Production Manager Ron Andruscavage, boilo has made the rounds at WVIA for several years. This year, CEO Carla McCabe is bringing a bottle to Ireland over the Christmas holiday.
“She's supposed to send me pictures of her family drinking it,” Andruscavage said.
A batch of boilo starts with citrus — Andruscavage squeezes fresh lemons and oranges into a pot. Some recipes call for orange juice, but she prefers the fresh fruit.
“I think it just tastes better. So you just take it and then cut them all up and squeeze them into the pot,” she said. “And it doesn't matter if there’s seeds or anything, because it all gets strained out.”
Then raisins, honey and spices like caraway seed, allspice and cinnamon sticks make their way into the pot — which, Andruscavage often reminds people, should never actually be boiled.
“And you don't put the alcohol in until you're done making it,” she said. “Or you’ll boil the alcohol off, and that defeats the purpose.”
Once the fruits and spices are together in a big pot, Andruscavage adds two bottles of A-Treat ginger ale to start. She says A-Treat is another Schuylkill County staple, along with the 101-proof Four Queens whiskey most boilo-makers use.
“You walk into the liquor store in Schuylkill County and you see a big display of Four Queens whiskey, like it's that popular to make it,” she said. “And then if you go into the grocery store, they have cheese cloth, spice, raisins, cinnamon sticks, honey — they have it all in one section, so everything is right there.”
She lets the big pot simmer on medium heat for around 20 minutes. The sweet, spiced smell fills up the kitchen as she stirs it all together. It’s not meant to be fizzy, so Andruscavage waits for the ginger ale to lose its bubbles.
Next, Andruscavage deploys plenty of cheesecloth to strain the simmering liquid into another pot off of the heat. Then it’s time for the whiskey.
Andruscavage says some people make boilo with other liquors like Everclear, but she prefers whiskey for the taste and the way it blends with the spices and ginger ale to let all of the flavors shine through.
“I just like it too because it’s supposed to be a festive drink,” she said.
Then comes Andruscavage’s favorite part of making a batch of boilo — tasting. She uses a baster to fill her tasting glass — a small glass with light green stripes that came from her mother-in-law’s house.
“It’s easier than picking up the whole pot,” she said. “I don’t usually fill it … I just put some in there just to taste it.”
She modifies the batch with more ginger ale or whiskey to taste, then strains it one last time into bottles and jars.
She knows she has it right when it has its own distinct taste - not just whiskey or ginger ale. It gives the drinker a warm feeling without too much sting of liquor.
“It warms you up,” she said. “It is it’s own thing.”
Dianne Andruscavage's Boilo
1 bottle whiskey (Four Queens 101 proof)
4 oranges
4 lemons
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups of honey
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp caraway seed
1 tsp allspice
1 liter of extra spicy ginger ale (or more to taste!)
You will need two big pots, cheesecloth, a strainer, a funnel and gloves.
Peel the oranges and lemons. Cut up the fruit and squeeze them into the pot. A garlic press works, or you can use some kind of juicer or fruit squeezer if you have one. Put the remaining fruit pulp into the pot.
Add the raisins, honey, and spices, then add ginger ale
Stir and cook everything at a slow simmer, stirring constantly. Do not add whiskey yet and do not allow to reach a boil. Simmer for around 20 minutes.
Strain the liquid into the second pot. Mash down the fruit in the strainer to get all the liquid. Strain through the cheese cloth and squeeze all the juice out.
Add the whiskey and stir in the second pot away from heat. If you cook the whiskey, even for a short time, the alcohol will start to evaporate (and who wants that to happen?).
Taste, and add more whiskey to your liking. Funnel into bottles.
Serve hot in shot glasses, espresso cups, or coffee mugs and enjoy!
