We’ve made a few references to YouTuber Zach Zoschke who has been making videos off and on since the pandemic. His shorts are fast, entertaining takes on some really amazing recipes. It won’t take long before you are binging every single video he has posted, but you will find yourself pausing so you can grab a pencil, or constantly hitting like so you can come back and transcribe the details later on. That’s what we did anyway, and one of our favorites is his original, award-winning drink, the Cruel Summer. It contains grapefruit and Campari which always complement each other, especially when bolstered by a little extra acid from lemon and some simple syrup for balance. But what makes this really stand out is that it features an unusual spirit called Singani 63. Singani is a Bolivian grape distillate which technically makes it a brandy, or maybe you would call it pisco were it made in Peru. Singani is un-aged, so it is clear. It has incredible perfume-like floral notes, and while it is delicious on its own, this drink is a perfect way to drink it.

Cruel Summer by Zach Zoschke
2 oz Singani 63
1 oz grapefruit juice
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 simple syrup
.5 oz Campari

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake and strain into ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with grapefruit peel twist.

Some interesting factoids about Singani 63 is that it is made from muscat grapes grown in the Andes at elevations above 5,200 feet, and although it is a historic spirit of the region, it was introduced to the US somewhat recently by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. We’ve seen it occasionally on menus since about 2019. Once you try it you will be looking for other ways to drink it before your bottle is all gone. This may be called the Cruel Summer which made a lot of sense back in 2020 when most of us were drinking alone during lockdown, but we aren’t thinking about the pandemic anymore, so it’s a great summer drink to share as far as we’re concerned. The name is a good reminder of those long gone days, or just a reference to Bananarama if you are old enough to remember that band!

Could you make this drink with other spirits? Probably. A Peruvian or Chilean Pisco is the obvious choice and would probably work fine. We’ve even made it with homemade Rakia from Bulgaria. Zach’s formula works nicely with a little base spirit switch-a-roo but you owe it to yourself to make this as written with Singani. Give it a try, and if you, leave us a comment about what you think.