Liquore al Caffe'

The after-dinner hit of our Italian Thanksgiving feast was the liquore al caffe' that I made to serve as a digestivo.  Italians take their digestion quite seriously, and a little hit of booze to close the meal is said to aid the process.  I just know that it tastes good!  This recipe hails from a nearby town, Laurenzana, where my great-grandmother came from.  In fact, it was rather famous and -say the townspeople-the recipe was sold to Borghetti, a corporation based in northern Italy, which distributes coffee liqueur all over Europe.

Liquore al Caffe di Laurenzana

1/2 liter of freshly made espresso (made in the Moka pot)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 liter grain alcohol (or vodka)

Put the sugar in a heat-proof container that closes tightly; pour the hot espresso over it and stir to dissolve.  Let cool.  Add the vanilla and alcohol.  Let sit for a few weeks to mellow.

Ratafia - Cherry Liqueur

This delicious wine-soaked cherry liqueur hails from the Abruzzo region, where we tasted it in a family-run trattoria in a splendid town called Sulmona.  Local Montepulciano and wild cherries were marinated together to create the perfect after-dinner digestivo.   The owner put the bottle on the table and invited us to help ourselves, then brought crunchy cherry-studded biscotti to dip into it.

I have learned that creating delicious liqueurs depends on the Biblical principle of 40 days and 40 nights - leaving the fruit and liquor to macerate that proverbial period of time draws out all the fruity goodness and makes luscious liqueurs!

Ratafia di Ciliegia

1 1/2 pounds pitted cherries
1 bottle Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
1 cup grain alcohol (or high-proof, good quality vodka)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
a big glass jar or bottle that will seal well

Split the vanilla bean open and put it in the jar, along with the other ingredients.  Give it a shake and put it in a dark place for 40 days and 40 nights, shaking it gently every few days.  After the maceration period, strain it.

Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan, bring to a gentle boil, stirring well to dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat and let it cool.  Add it to the liqueur, stirring well.  Divide into bottles and keep in a cool, dark place. 

We prefer the pretty gasket-topped bottles as they seal better and make a nice presentation for gift-giving.

photo credit: Faynor Orchards

Vino Pescato

The heat has set in...the infamous summer sizzle is scorching the city and making everyone scurry for shade or hibernate inside until the sun sets. The shutters and windows get closed up tight from midmorning until evening in an attempt to keep the heat at bay.

It's too hot to cook, making cold plates de riguer. We're also clamouring for cold drinks. My local barista served us this refreshing Neapolitan speciality, learned from his father-in-law who is a true-blue Napolitano. Called vino peschato, it literally means "peached wine". Nothing could be simpler, or more refreshing, on a hot day like this.

Slice three or four fresh, ripe peaches into a pitcher. Pour a bottle of dry white wine over top. Cover and refrigerate several hours. The wine becomes infused with the fragrance and flavor of the fruit. Pour the wine into glasses, and then serve the peaches in a bowl with toothpicks to skewer them.

Buonissimo!

Vin Brule`

What is otherwise known as a Hot Toddy in English, our neighborhood barista recently introduced me to the tastes of vin brule` when I complained about my cold. "This will fix you up," he promised. He must know my mom. She always recommends a hot toddy for such ailments. The Italian version tastes sort of like a cross between spiced cider and sweet wine.

1 cup port wine (some Ascolani substitute the local vino cotto)
a shaving of lemon peel
a couple of cloves
a cinnamon stick

Combine them all and heat. Let sit about five minutes for the spices to give off their flavors. Reheat if necessary, strain out the spices and sip. The fumes do as much good as the actual beverage in clearing up blocked noses and chest congestion!

Limoncello

Smooth, sweet-tart, and bursting with sunshine, Limoncello is a liqueur from the Amalfi Coast region of Italy. It's a great finale to a meal, delicious year-round, and makes a wonderful gift, too. It's easy to make. You just need lemons, alcohol and sugar.

Carefully peel the yellow skin from about a dozen organic lemons. Because you're infusing the skins, the lemons do need to be organic; you don't want any chemicals leeching out into your drink. You want the yellow part only, not the white pith.

Put the peels into a large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour on a bottle of alcohol (you can use grain alcohol or a good-quality vodka.) Seal and put in a cool, dark place for 40 days and 40 nights. Give it a shake every now and again.

Strain out the peels.

Make a sugar syrup of 1 1/2 Cups sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then turn off. When it's cool, add it to the lemon alcohol.

Decant into bottles. Enjoy! It's best when served very well-chilled.

2005 Valerie Schneider

White Sangria

The heat of summer is very conducive to a nice cool, light wine drink. Sangria traditionally is red, sangre being Spanish for "blood", but I like it also with a nice dry fruity white in the warmer weather. I made a pitcher of this for the Fourth of July and it tasted very refreshing.

1 bottle dry white wine, chilled (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 lemon, lime or orange, sliced thin
juice of 1 lemon
1 can Knudsen Orange Passionfruit Spritzer (fruit juice spritzers), chilled

Combine all in a pitcher. Stir well and serve.
The Knudsen spritzers are ideal to use as they provide the fruit juice and the fizz in one, and they're only fruit juice-sweetened (no corn syrup or other yucky stuff). If you can't find Knudsen spritzers, use orange juice and sparkling water or club soda instead.