Okay, so I decided to try my hand at making that honey grappa stuff, you know, grappamiel. Heard about it, sounded interesting, and I like fiddling around with drinks.
Getting Started
First things first, I needed the basics. So, I went and got myself a bottle of grappa. Nothing too fancy, just a decent standard one. You definitely need good honey too, none of that cheap sugary syrup. I picked up a jar of local wildflower honey, thought that might give it a nice touch.
I also grabbed a lemon, thinking a bit of zest might liven it up. You’ll need a clean jar or bottle with a tight lid too, something big enough to hold everything and allow for shaking.
Mixing it Up
Alright, got my stuff lined up on the counter. I took my clean jar and poured in the grappa. Now, the ratio… I winged it a bit, honestly. I started with roughly two parts grappa to one part honey. Just eyeballed it mostly.
Then, I carefully spooned the honey into the jar with the grappa. It looked kinda cool, the thick honey slowly sinking. I decided to add some lemon zest, so I peeled off a couple of strips from the lemon, making sure not to get the white pithy part, and dropped them in.
Put the lid on tight. And then, the fun part: shake it! I gave it a really good shake for a minute or two, trying to get that honey to start mixing with the grappa. It won’t dissolve instantly, mind you.
The Waiting Game
This is probably the hardest part – leaving it alone. I put the jar away in a cool, dark cupboard. Plan was to let it sit and infuse.
- Checked it the next day. Still looked separated. Gave it another good shake.
- Did this pretty much every day for the first week. Just a quick shake to help things along.
- After about a week, the honey seemed mostly dissolved into the grappa, and the color started looking nice and golden.
I decided to let it sit for another week just to let the flavours really meld together. Patience, right?
Taste Test and Finishing Touches
Okay, after two weeks, I figured it was time. I opened the jar and poured a tiny bit out to taste. Wow! It was strong, obviously, but that honey sweetness really came through, smoothed the edges of the grappa nicely. The lemon zest added a subtle freshness.
For me, the sweetness was about right. If it wasn’t, I guess I would’ve just added a bit more honey and let it sit a few more days, shaking it again.
Since I had the lemon zest in there, I decided to strain it. Didn’t want bits floating around. I just used a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter, pouring the liquid slowly through it into another clean container. Took a little while, but it came out looking much clearer.
Ready to Go
Finally, I poured the finished grappamiel into a nice clean bottle I’d saved. Looks pretty professional sitting there, if I do say so myself!
How to drink it? Well, I tried it slightly chilled first. Really nice digestivo after a meal. Room temperature works too. It’s potent stuff, so small sips are the way to go. Definitely a successful little project, quite happy with how it turned out. Easy peasy, mostly just requires a bit of waiting around.
