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Blue Blazer (or Blue Blazes)
I TEASPOON POWDERED SUGAR 2 JIGGERS SCOTCH 2 JIGGERS BOILING WATER TWIST OF LEMON PEEL Put sugar and whisky in one metal mug and boiling water in another. Touch a match to the whisky, and when it's blazing well pour rapidly into the boiling water, then back and forth between the mugs, in one running flame of fire, 5 or 6 times, until the blaze dies down. Then pour it into a small thick glass or cup and twist a tail of lemon peel over for zest.
A flaming pour, and the drink is famous for the spectacle rather than the flavour. Everything about the preparation is about getting the whisky to light and keeping the arc of fire under control.
- JiggerA jigger is 1 1/2 fluid ounces, so this is 3 oz Scotch to 3 oz boiling water. That makes one generous mug or two small cups.
- Getting it to lightStandard 80-proof Scotch will not readily ignite at room temperature. Warm the whisky in the mug first (a few seconds over low heat, not to a simmer) or use a cask-strength bottling; the flame lives on the vapour, not the liquid.
- The mugsTwo heavy metal mugs, as the recipe specifies; silver-plated or stainless bar mugs are traditional. Glass can crack, and any lacquered or plastic handle will scorch.
- The pourDo this on a bare metal or stone surface, well away from towels, curtains, spirit bottles and hair, with a metal lid or damp cloth within reach to smother a spill. Pour a low, steady stream from one mug to the other rather than a long dramatic arc, and stop after five or six passes as directed; the flame is nearly invisible in a lit room.
- What the flame doesBurning off vapour removes a little alcohol and adds a faint toasted note; the boiling water is what actually carries the aroma. Most of the transformation is theatrical.
- Powdered sugarIn older usage this meant finely ground sugar rather than modern cornstarch-blended confectioners' sugar; either will serve, but sugar dissolves poorly in spirit alone, so give it a stir once the hot water is in.
- FinishingTwist the lemon peel over the surface so the oil sprays across the drink, then drop it in. Serve at once, in a thick-walled cup or a heatproof glass with a handle.