Sweets 

Zabaione

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Wine

Recipes

Egg Liqueur Vov

Zabaione

Coffee Liqueur

Aperitivi e Digestivi

I must admit, I prefer Italy's abundant aperitivi and digestivi and liquori, to her wines.  The world must, too, because Italy produces the most popular liqueur in the world:  Amaretto di Saronno. 

Generally speaking:

• aperitifs are drunk before a meal
• digestives are drunk after a meal
• liqueurs are drunk after a meal, or with sweets, or used in desserts
• grappa is drunk after a meal (and can be used to ignite desserts!)

Below I provide recipes for two delicious liqueurs that you can make and drink immediately:  a coffee liqueur, and a Zabaione (egg, Marsala wine, and sugar) liqueur that is sold commercially as Vov.

And I've put a few of the more known brand drinks Italy exports to the world, with what they're made of, to give you an idea of the taste, in case you haven't tried them.  And a few links to company websites.

I won't get into Grappa (not one of my favorite drinks) but direct you instead to the  Italian Made Grappa page if you're interested.  Just so you know, it's a very strong alcohol made from the fermented waste products of wine production.  (Click here for a grappa, Anthony LaPaglia, Betsy's Wedding story.)

The vintage Italian drink prints are available from AllPosters.com.  

 Vintage Liquor Prints from AllPosters.com

Egg Liqueur (Vov)

The story goes that in 1840 a sweets-maker in Padova, Mr. Pezziol, developed a drinkable Zabaione he could sell customers because he wanted to use up the egg yolks that remained after making all the Torrone (egg white and sugar nugat), which was his big seller.  So Vov was born and has been a constant success in Italy ever since.  

It's such a part of Italian culture that they haven't needed to advertise it much since 1840.  When it was advertised, just like Zabaione, it was touted as an energy pick-me-up.  The sugar content is high, and the energy from eggs is quickly broken down and made ready for use by the body.  It even became the official drink of the Italian military for just that reason.

Today it's sold in different ways, as an ingredient in cocktails (the Italian website Cultura del Bere has a page about Vov with history and recipes for cocktails), as a ski-vacation pick-me-up on or just off the slopes, and as always, as an addition to coffee on a cold winter's day.  Here's the recipe.

6 egg yolks

500 grams of sugar

1/2 liter of whole milk

1/2 liter of Marsala wine

1 lemon

1-2 teaspoons of Vanilla extract

Put the yolks and sugar together in a pan.  Mix this with an electric mixer over a very low heat (or in a double-boiler) constantly as you add the Marsala wine.  Cook it for at least 5 minutes, mixing all the time.  Then slowly add the milk and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the juice of the lemon, and the Vanilla extract.

You can drink it right away, or store it in the refrigerator, pretty much for as long as you'd like, but don't exaggerate.  Trust me, once your family tastes it, it won't last long.  Just like the commercial Vov, it's great in coffee, over ice cream, in cakes and icings, and even the new way in cocktails.

Zabaione

This is the best recipe I have for Zabaione.  It works every time.  Zabaione is supposed to be the food you give the newlywed man so he has energy to get through the wedding night.  It does give an energy pick-me-up due to the sugar and eggs in it, and men love it more than women, so he'll love whomever makes it for him (beware).  And if you're a man, you may decide you want to live on this, but I would suggest a more varied diet.

6 eggs yolks

3/4 cups sugar

1 cup Marsala wine

Put the yolks and sugar together in a pan.  Mix this with an electric mixer over a very low heat (or in a double-boiler) constantly as you slowly add the Marsala wine.  Cook it for at least 5 minutes, mixing all the time.  If it's not light and full of air, whip it for another 5 minutes.

It's delicious served warm over sliced fruit, especially peaches.  An original recipe and history for Zabaione comes from the Town Hall of Torino (there's water in their recipe because Marsala was very expensive back then).

Coffee Liqueur

The sugar and water base in this recipe is the syrup for any sweet liqueur, and you can add as much alcohol as you want (alcohol preserves it, so be sure to put enough to keep it safe from germs).  You can experiment by adding fruit syrups to flavor the liqueur any way you want.  Here's the coffee version.

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup good quality instant coffee

1-2 teaspoons Vanilla extract (to taste)

1 1/2 cups Vodka

Boil the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove it from the heat.  Dissolve the coffee in the Vodka.  Add the Vanilla.  Then add this to the syrup.  Mix carefully.  

You can use it immediately, or store it in air-tight bottles.  It thickens as it cools.  It's delicious over ice cream, added to coffee or milk, or on it's own.  A drop of cream sets a serving off well. 

(About.com Italian Cuisine has lots of liqueur recipes, too, but be prepared to wait several weeks (months!) for the drinks to 'ripen'.)

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