Bambus in Tkalčićeva
February 3, 2007 – 3:49 pm
There might not be a better way to spend a night in Zagreb than by sitting in one of the many cafes of Tkalčićeva Ulica with a glass of bambus, lazily watching the beautiful people of Croatia’s capital city stroll by. But what is “bambus“, you ask? I’ll get to that as soon as I take care of some business.
Purists will opine that blending wine with other potable liquids is an insult to the vintage and vintner. I’ve had many conversations with many liters of wine, and some of them turned nasty. But even when I hurled curses at the body of liquid in the glass, it had little to say in return. Wine is not easily offended. Winemakers? Different story.
I’ll counter that some wines are insulting to the palate and need a good dumbing down. And some purists need to lighten up. I could say that salt and pepper are an insult to the deep earth flavors of a simply boiled potato, but I won’t waste anyone’s time.
Enjoy your food and drink as you prefer to do so, and leave others to do the same. This shall be the whole of The Law. Amazing new flavors and textures are never discovered through constant adherence to the gastronomic norms and snobbery of antiquity. Anyhoodle…
In Croatia the blend of white wine and sparkling mineral water is called gemišt, and it is quite popular in Austrian-flavored, Reisling-loving Zagreb and the Zagorje region. In the Dalmatian region of Croatia, the blend of 30% red wine and 70% still spring water is referred to as bevanda. This was reportedly originated by the ancient Illyrians (Croatia’s earlier inhabitants), who loved wine, praised hard work and frowned upon drunkenness. Some (like me) enjoy mixing wine with fruit juice, and I must say that the delicate sharpness of some Malvazija and Graševina can be complimented nicely with the malic acid pucker of fresh apple nectar. You’ll hear me draw that parallel a lot if you haven’t already.
But then there is bambus. This is a concoction of red wine and cola that is oft considered a “girl drink”, but which I have come to adopt as my social beverage of choice when mixing it up with the livelier, prettier set. Most will pronounce the formula at half wine and half cola, but again, individual preference is king. I’m a 70-30 man, myself.
There are a number of desirable effects to arise from this amateur vinological alchemy, not the least of which is the improvement in flavor of an “inferior” wine (I should note that I haven’t yet tasted a Croatian wine that was completely terrible, but then I’m also not much of a complainer). It’s a lot like lambrusco or sangria. If you substitute Cockta for cola, the sangria-like quality will be all the more apparent. And, you will begin to speak with a Slovenian accent.
When you begin to feel the effects of bambus, the appelation will strike you as onomotopoeia (oeno-motopoeia?). The combination punch of low-carbohydrate alcohol and caffeine delivers a sort of light, crystal-clear mellowness. This mist of joviality washes over the imbiber, the stimulating conversation flows, and the boom-boom is in the room. Trust me, it beats the hell out of mixing coffee and beer.
There is yet another desirable effect for the boys: If you’re secure enough in your masculinity to walk around in public with a “girl drink”, the girls will wonder about you. In a good way. You can trust me on that too.
