Olivier Poels 5:40 p.m., May 24, 2022

Here is a product that smells good for a time that people under 20 (or even a little more) cannot know.

It must be admitted, ratafia is no longer really popular and it's a shame, because well done, this mixture of alcohol and fruit can be delicious.

Impossible to date his birth, but some leads lead us to Italy in the 13th century.

Like many products, ratafia was born from the need for preservation - in this case, fruit.

This mistelle technique (misto in Italian means mixing) then spread to Spain and France.

The word ratafia comes from the Latin expression “rata fiat” (deal concluded): it was drunk to celebrate the ratification of an agreement or a deal.

There are two main types of ratafias: liqueur wine found in wine regions (mainly Champagne and Burgundy) and fruit ratafia.

  • Liqueur wine: addition of viticultural alcohol to grape must to prevent fermentation (2/3 must and 1/3 old marc).

    Some then raise it like wine.

  • Fruit ratafia: Stendhal's favorite aperitif, it is made by macerating fruit in neutral alcohol.

    You can use a multitude of fruits, which means that there are countless recipes.

Ratafia recipe

Ingredients :

1 kg of red fruits

25 cl of brandy

150 g of sugar

1 C.

c.

peppercorns

1 vanilla pod

Extract the juice from the fruits and pass it through a sieve

In a jar, add sugar, brandy, pepper and vanilla

Close tightly and leave to infuse for 1 month