If you like to give food and drink to your dearest loved ones as a gift, now is the time to do so! And even if the tradition has never gone out of style, these days, we give so many gifts that they get lost in the shuffle sometimes. But the delivery of a good thing, prepared slowly and with love, still has its effect. That’s why we’ve got four Christmas liqueur recipes to bring good luck to the chefs who make them and those who drink them, each with its own meaning. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Vov
Zabaione liqueur. Known by many as a regenerating drink between one ski trip and the next, vov is actually a very old recipe. In 1845, the Paduan confectioner Gian Battista Pezziol decided to use the scraps from some previously-made nougat (i.e. egg whites), to make a replenishing and heartwarming drink. To serve vov to your guests is to wish them strength, energy and vitality.
To prepare, bring 1 2/3 cup milk to a boil along with 1 cup of sugar and a vanilla pod split open. Reduce the heat to a minimum, mix for a few minutes and remove from the heat. Then beat 3 ounces of egg yolks with another cup of sugar until they become frothy and fluffy. Filter the warm milk and pour it over the egg mixture, continuing to mix. Put the mixture back over the heat in a bain-marie until the temperature of the cream reaches 180°F (if you don’t have a thermometer, it’s the precise moment when, raising the spoon, you notice that it remains covered in cream). Combine the Marsala and just under 1/2 cup of 90 proof alcohol, stirring carefully. Pour the liqueur into a one-liter bottle that has been previously sterilized, and seal tightly.
Creamy mandarin liqueur
Ranked among the top foods for good fortune, this creamy tangerine liqueur is a must for any holiday celebration! A Christmas liqueur par excellence for a simple and fragrant way to wish luck to our dearest friends and family.
To make creamy mandarin liqueur, first put 2 cups of 95 proof alcohol, 1 3/4 cups sugar, half a vanilla pod split open and 10 mandarins cut into pieces with their skin (brushed and washed well) in a bottle. Close the bottle and store in a cool place for 2 weeks, then add 1 1/4 cups water and 1 1/4 cups milk and let macerate for another week, shaking the bottle occasionally. Filter the cream through a thick gauze, collecting it in a previously sterilized one-liter bottle, then seal tightly. Let rest for two months before drinking.
Chocolate liqueur
Chocolate is always the life of the festivity. An indulgent way to offer some love to family.
For chocolate liqueur, finely chop up 4 ounces of chocolate and melt it in a bain-marie, adding just under 1/2 cup of water. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar, mix and cook over the lowest heat until the sugar has melted. Add just under a cup of water and heat for another 3 minutes. Open a vanilla pod and add it, stirring. Stir in just under a cup of 95 proof alcohol, mix and let cool. Filter and bottle the liquid in a sterilized, one-liter bottle, then seal it tightly and let it rest for a day.
Juniper liqueur
In the days of the ancient Greeks, juniper was considered a protective plant capable of keeping the house safe from negative forces. Considered one of the symbols of Christmastime, it still retains its magical and positive significance.
To make juniper liqueur, put 100 juniper berries and just over a cup of 95 proof alcohol in an airtight jar. Leave to macerate for 4 weeks. Prepare a syrup by boiling 1 1/4 cups water with 1 1/4 cups sugar and letting it cool down completely. Filter the liquid with the juniper, add the syrup, bottle it in a previously sterilized one-liter bottle, then seal it tightly and let it rest eight months before enjoying.