Nowadays, not even all experts in the alcohol industry know about the existence of ratafia (sweet vodka), but 200 years ago this drink was prepared at almost every noble distillery. Despite the high strength, among the nobles, sweet vodka was considered an exquisite ladies’ liquor. I will talk about the classic recipe for ratafia, which is easy to repeat at home, as long as there is alcohol. Any fruit can be raw materials: raspberries, cherries, apricots, currants, etc.
Ratafia – This is a class of strong alcoholic drinks (40-45 degrees) obtained by insisting ripe fruits on pure alcohol, followed by the addition of sugar. According to the production technology, ratafia is very similar to liqueurs, but it has a higher alcohol content and less sweetness.
According to one version, Rataphia was invented around 1000 AD. in the Italian region of Andorno. The drink is named after the Latin expression “Rata Fiat” (translated as “it’s signed”), which in those days was used by Catholic priests during wedding ceremonies. That is, ratafia could well have been wedding alcohol.
Ratafia received its second birth in Russia during the dawn of serfdom, it was then that the tincture began to be called “sweet vodka”. Many landowners had their own small distilleries for the production of ratafia. The mild sweet taste appealed to high society.
But already in the 1868th century they began to forget about ratafia. There are two reasons: the complex production technology and the peculiarities of the national cuisine. To make ratafia, alcohol of the highest possible strength is required. The distillation apparatus was invented only in XNUMX, and before the invention of this device, a strong distillate was obtained by repeated distillation of moonshine, which is very difficult. In addition, Russian cuisine began to develop towards spicy and sour dishes, with which sweet alcoholic drinks are not combined.
Classic ratafia recipe
Nowadays, making sweet vodka is much easier, since getting ethyl or medical alcohol is not a problem. Personally, I think that the raspberry ratafia is the most delicious. It is on the example of raspberries that we will consider production technology.
Ingredients:
- ripe raspberries – 1 kg;
- alcohol 70-90% – 0,5 liters;
- sugar – 6 teaspoons.
Preparation
1. Pour ripe raspberries up to the neck into a glass container (bottle, decanter, jar).
2. Add alcohol (should cover the entire layer of berries).
3. Close the container tightly and put it in a warm place for 1 month, you can in the sun. Shake once a week.
4. Drain the tincture without sediment, then filter through gauze, lightly squeeze out the cake.
5. Pour a little tincture into a separate bowl and add sugar at the rate of 10-12 teaspoons per 1 liter of alcohol. Heat the liquid on the stove until the sugar dissolves, then pour the resulting syrup back.
6. Mix well, pour into bottles, close tightly. Raspberry ratafia is ready. In the refrigerator or cellar, the drink can be stored for several years. Fortress – 45-60%.
