Celebrate Oktoberfest With A German Sunrise!

Sure, you can applaud Germany as the lynchpin of the Euro bailout.  But even if you aren’t heavily invested in Greek sovereign debt, you’ll want to celebrate German culture because – it’s Oktoberfest!

In addition to bratwurst, pretzels, and Bavarian folk dancing, Oktoberfest celebrations are most often associated with, of course, beer. And, the Germans do beer well. I read that in preparation for hosting the World Cup in 2006 they built a soccer stadium that featured a 500,000-liter refrigerated storage tank for beer.  The stadium was designed with system of pressurized piping and taps that could deliver the beer to any concession outlet in the stadium directly from the storage tank. Now, that’s engineering prowess. The US put a man on the moon, but Velcro and Tang are somewhat less satisfying engineering dividends than a cold beer.

I dig cold beer and salute all engineering done in the name of innovating beer delivery (including this cool fridge ). But, this is a cocktail blog and we shouldn’t forget that Germany also produces an immensely popular liqueur: Jagermeister.

Moraga’s version of Oktoberfest runs this Sunday, Oct. 16, from 2 – 6 p.m., but you can have your own celebration of German culture whenever you want by getting better acquainted with its national liqueur.  It’s true that this herbal, licorice-flavored beverage can, like the German language, be a bit harsh.  However, its quirky flavor can bring a pleasant depth to well-mixed cocktails.

                                              German Sunrise

Most often called a Jagermonster, this cocktail is pretty much a Tequila Sunrise with Jagermeister in place of Tequila.  So, I changed the drink’s name to German Sunrise, which also sounds much prettier.

                                                Ingredients

* 1 oz. Jagermeister  * 6 oz. OJ  * Dash of Grenadine  * Maraschino Cherry  * Orange Wedge

It starts off in an 8-10 ounce glass about half full of ice. Pour in an ounce of Jager.  Then add about 6 oz of Orange Juice to taste and then a dash of grenadine.  The color of the German Sunrise doesn’t quite have the crispness of the Tequila Sunrise because of Jager’s black hue.  You can still try to create the “sunrise” effect by slowly adding the grenadine from the side so it will pool in the bottom of the glass and rise up through the drink.  But, I’ve found that it’s not really worth the effort and it still looks nice on top.  Garnish with an orange wedge and/or a cherry and Liben die Parti!

Moraga’s Oktoberfest is this Sunday, Oct., 16, from 2 – 6 p.m. at the Hacienda de las Flores. 

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