Ratafia, also known as the season drink, is the queen of liqueurs because it is made from spring to early autumn, adding seasonal fruits according to the process of their ripening. Thanks to this, ratafia is distinguished by a multitude of flavors and aromas that depend on our individual preferences. Importantly, its taste may be different each time. See how to make a rataphia.
Ratafia , meaning the season ticket, was already known in our country inOld Polish times . In the past, arak was used to prepare it. According to some sources, the ratafia comes from the French colonies in the Antilles. It is probably the longest-prepared tincture - it can mature evenover a year .
Due to the high content of various fruits, ratafia belongs tovery sweet multi-fruit liqueurs .
The secret of a successful (season) ratafii
The secret to a good rataphy is the properbalance of the ingredients . Our goal is to achieve likethe richest taste of tincture . To do this, add fruit in more or less similar proportions, but remember that some of them are more or less aromatic, so it is worth adding a little less (the more aromatic ones include e.g. raspberries).
Recipe for ratafia
There are as many recipes for ratafia as there are people who prepare it. It all depends on our imagination and taste preferences. Importantly, due to a multitude of factors (such as the proportions of ingredients, types of added fruit, degree of ripeness and sugar content) the taste of ratafia will never be the same.
The recipe for ratafia is generallylayeringcleaned fruit, sprinkling themsugarandpouring alcohol. But the devil, as always, is in the details. We can use different alcohols and fruits to make ratafii. We can also make it in the versionsweetordry(then we do not add sugar).
To prepare theclassic ratafiiwe will need the following ingredients:
- several types of seasonal fruit (more or less in similar amounts)
- alcohol (it can be: vodka, spirit or rum or a mixture of them) in the proportion of e.g. vodka 40% in the amount of 300 ml per 200 grams of fruit
- sugar - 2-4 tablespoons for each serving of fruit
Here isSample aspect ratio :
- 2 lemons
- 500 g cherries
- 250 g raspberries
- 250 g wild strawberries
- 250 g strawberries
- 250 g mirabelles
- 250 g renklod
- 2 apples
- 1 pear
- spirit
- boiled water
Inlarge jarputwashed and peeled from stemsandpittedfruit (most often they are are strawberries), sprinkle them with sugar and pour diluted alcohol over them, so that the fruit is thoroughly covered (it is worth adding a little spirit to the vodka, because the fruit dilutes the alcohol a lot). Then twist the jar and set it aside inbright place , where it will wait for the next seasonal fruit to appear. Remember to shake the jar frequently.
About5 weeksAfter adding the last fruits, strain the tincture and leave it forat least a monthto rest in a dark and cool place . If it finally turns out to be too weak, you can add a little spirit, and if it is not sweet enough - sweeten it. In general, the aging process of ratafia can take a year or even longer.
Which fruits should be added to the ratafia?
The following fruits can be added to ratafii (we give them according to their time of occurrence):
- strawberries
- wild strawberries
- raspberries
- blueberries
- blackberries
- blueberries
- currants
- gooseberry
- cherries
- Hungarian plums
- grapes
- apples
- pears
Some people also add almonds, nuts, citrus fruits (such as oranges, limes or lemons, but necessarily without the peel!) Or dried (e.g. raisins, figs, dates, rose petals, hawthorn or wild rose) to the ratafia as well as spices (cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg).
- Polish superfruits - what fruit is worth eating in the summer?
- Pickled lemons - sun locked in a jar
