The Oyster Shooter (NOT Vodka with Phlegm)
This unusual, and novel beverage was served to me at a restaurant in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island called John Brown’s Richmond Street Grille. It was a hot summer afternoon in July and I had already had quite a few beers, but I gave this a special offering a try and found it delicious and tasty enough to have a few more. Luckily I remember enough about the afternoon to record the experience for posterity.
This celebrated Oyster Shooter appeared on the specials menu as an ‘Oyster In’, and it consisted of a Raspberry Point Oyster served with a shot of Potato Vodka distilled right on the Island. Surprisingly, the Oyster actually came on a half-shell beside the shot-glass, but my server said that some people prefer to do them separately. He recommended, however, that I put it into the glass and drink it down, and this I did.
Before continuing, I ought to make a couple of points… First, I LOVE raw Oysters and usually cannot bear to adulterate them with anything, not even a squirt of Lemon Juice. As it happened, though, the Raspberry Points weren’t having a good season that year and July is a poor month for Oysters in any event. Accordingly, I didn’t feel to bad about drowning my specimens in hard alcohol.
The other point is a bit of a warning …
As you may be aware, Oysters are regarded as a major aphrodisiac. This, however is not invariably true. I ate a dozen one night and it ended up that only eight of them worked. Still, one needs be careful lest rampant arousal ensue. The only blessing with taking Oysters in this fashion, though, is that, after a dozen, the aphrodisiac qualities can be offset by the ‘Brewer’s Droop’ effect of the alcohol. Lady’s need not be concerned, of course, so caution need not be exercised.
Anyway, I have to say that the Vodka (whose name unfortunately escapes me) was one of the best I have ever had. It had some lovely woody notes and was crisp and very clean in overall flavor. I decided not to take the ‘suck ‘er back’ approach to doing this shooter and instead I swallowed the Vodka, but let myself chew the Oyster to get the full flavor. It was, I have to say, improved by its ‘dip’ and could cheerfully have continued with more all afternoon if the stagger back to my hotel wasn’t so far.