Ratafia de la champagne

By Richard Frisbie

On a recent trip to Reims in the Champagne district of France, I tasted the local vin de liqueur for the first time. It was a sweet, but not cloyingly sweet, mouthful of the essence of a sunny afternoon in the French countryside. As I swallowed, I imagined the liqueur served with the strong local cheese, epoise, and a good crusty Parisian baguette. In other words, it made me think of perfection.

This was not my first visit to the region, not even my second. So I had to wonder, where had this elixir been all this time?

Ratafia de la champagne is made by combining champagne with the juice of champagne grapes and a few select herbs. The mixture is aged, then strained and bottled. At least that’s what the purveyor told me. I think, given the language difficulties created by his functional English and my non-existent French, that distillation is involved, too. How else could it acquire that silken-smooth mouth feel? However it is made, you simply have
to taste it!

Ratafia is a rare drink because the ingredients are too valuable to use in a mix; they are worth much more bottled as Champagne. In fact, so little is produced, that one rarely encounters Ratafia de la champagne outside the region.

It was explained to me that ratafia began as a ceremonial drink, a cordial served when ancient treaties or contracts were ratified (hence the name). It was meant to bind hearts and minds, as a celebration of their new endeavors. Whatever occasion you find worthy of memorializing, consider serving it at your next function. You can expect to hear your guests ask, “What is that delightful taste?”

Ratafia de la champagne is almost impossible to find in the US. I bought mine at a distinctive shop, Le Terroir des rois terroirdesrois@orange.fr, specializing in Reims products located near the Reims Cathedral and brought it home in my luggage. If you don’t have that luxury, there is an alternative.

To make a simplified version of ratafia, start with a good bottle of red or white wine. Add 1/4 cup vodka as a fermentation preventative; 1 cup washed and chopped seasonal fruits, vegetables, or herbs; 1/4 cup sugar. (For example, I’d start with champagne, then use some lemon peel, with pitted cherries, peaches and plums, and add a little vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Those are the tastes I identified.) Combine all ingredients in a large jar and refrigerate 3 to 4 weeks. Strain into a clean wine bottle and cork or cap tightly. Keep refrigerated. As an added benefit, the strained fruit can be reserved to serve on ice cream for an extra flavorful kick!

Visit www.tourisme-en-champagne.com.

Richard Frisbie is a freelance writer who frequently contributes articles to TravelLady.com, yogayaya.com, gather.com and GoNomad.com, as well as EDGE Publications, and magazines such as Adirondack Life and Life in the Finger Lakes. He lives in New York's Hudson Valley.

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