Razzle Dazzle

The Razzle Dazzle is soda fountain classic that can be found in the epic 1905 tome, The Dispenser’s Formulary, Or, Soda Water Guide. It is one of the key texts of soda fountain culture: one in which many mostly forgotten nonalcoholic mixed drinks await, ready for resurrection.

This drink is a standout: a marriage of pineapple, raspberry, and vinegar that despite its novelty by today’s standards fits nicely at home with the historic mixed drinks of the soda fountain. Served on fine ice—cracked, crushed, or pebble ice depending on your availability and inclination—and with a healthy dose of soda water, the drink is a bracing cooler. Instead of a cherry on top, the Razzle Dazzle calls for crushed raspberry.

At this drink’s heart is the interplay between the bright and blustery esters of pineapple and the bite of both citric and ascetic acids. The latter comes in the form of raspberry vinegar, an ingredient that shows up more than a few times in The Dispenser’s Formulary. It’s easy to make at home by simply blending vinegar and the fruit—I prefer to use sherry vinegar, which lands really nicely with pineapple—not far off from the sherry and pineapple flavors in classic cocktails like the Bizzy Izzy Highball.