Murphy Street Raspa Co.

What is a “raspa” you might ask? In Spanish “raspar” means “to scrape.” As Murphy Street Raspa Co.’s owner Jessie Temple likes to say, “raspa is so much more fun to say than ‘a shaved ice’ or ‘a snow cone.’”

And as fun as it is to say, her cold, cold raspas are just as fun to scarf. Starting with a block of solid ice, Jessie literally cranks her machine, known as a SnoWizard, and fluffy white shaved ice shoots from the machine and into a cup.

A hot day in Alpine, Texas has locals lining the block for Jessie’ creations. I brought Jessie a bottle of Basil Hayden’s bourbon, and when she closed for the day, we whipped together her take on a Manhattan: cherry sauce, Basil Hayden’s, and a spicy, Mexican pickled plum sauce called Chamoy.

The pickled plum sauce really stood out in the raspa. As sweet as it was spicy, I craved the tart concoction all summer, and set to making my own version of Chamoy.

CHAMOY INGREDIENTS

2-3 Dried Ancho Chilies

1 Cup, Apricot Jam

½ Cup, Lime Juice

½ Teaspoon, Salt

⅓ Cup, Sugar

1. Let ancho chilies sit in warm water for half-an-hour. This will soften them up. Once soft, remove seeds and stems.

2. Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Max Wastler’s Manhatta-Raspa

1½ parts Basil Hayden's

½ part sweet vermouth

½ part dry vermouth

½ part maple syrup

2 dashes of bitters

and/or

2 teaspoons of chamoy sauce

crushed or shaved ice

Shake ingredients over ice. Pour over crushed ice. Garnish with a cherry. Spicy.

Originally published in The Collective Quarterly, Issue Ø (Marfa, Texas), 2014.