Rakomelo...

[Nod]

For those who haven't enjoyed this elixir, this is a mixture of Cretan Raki (basically the same as Italian Grappa or French Marc with honey, cinnamon and a clove, brought to the boil over gentle heat then drunk either hot or cold. We completely forgot to top up our diminishing supply a couple of weeks ago so have had to brew our own... We've been having a small glass every night at bedtime because my wife has a cold and I can't let her drink alone!!!:rules:

Pretty sure it's a good job I'm not driving at the moment since I have a definite slight buzz on from being near heated strong liquor! Just waiting for it to cool enough to bottle (and maybe taste, although I try not to drink before 6pm. I can justify a little nip though in the cause of tasting!) It's currently cooling in a covered tin can and I can see drops condensing on the lid. At a guess, these drops are what's known to the Cretans as Protoraki - the first few drops that distil when they brew the stuff and it's supposed to be even stronger than the final product (and tends to be a perk for the distillers!)

 

[AJQS]

Just don't tell my old man about it or he'll be busting down your door to get at it! He likes his Greek spirits!

 

[Nod]

So do we!

Holy cow, Batman! Thought I'd give the drips a little taste - somewhat overproof I think!!! Only had a tiny sip and it burns the tongue. Collected a drop or 2 in a teaspoon and applied a naked flame - I reckon my car would run on the stuff! (Hell, HERs probably would and that's not a Diesel!) Tasted the brewed stuff and it's less sweet than the bottle we bought and tastes slightly stronger. I think they might have used a bit of sugar as well as honey and boiled it a bit longer.

For anyone interested in giving it a try, I used 250ml Raki (I reckon any spirit would work), 3 tablespoons of runny honey, about 8" of cinnamon stick and one clove. Heat over a gentle flame (electric might be safer!) until it just simmers for 30 seconds or so. Leave to cool before bottling. Be careful if cooking this over gas - remember that you basically use the same stuff (Brandy) to set fire to your christmas pud and there's a chance that the fumes could ignite...

 

[Rob 80386]

Can you not use a hydrometer to test how strong it really is as in proof?

Sounds like you've either made paint stripper or rocket fuel, either way it sounds good.

 

[Rob 80386]

Double post for some strange reason.

 

[Nod]

In total, I reckon there was less than a teaspoon of the strong stuff and I don't have a hydrometer small enough to measure the SG of that small a quantity! The fact that it burned without heating was enough to tell me it was rather stronger than standard. From what I can gather about the brewing/distillation of the original spirit, the producers are allowed a day to produce it so they tend to pool their days and keep the still(s) going round the clock. The real firewater (and the stuff they sell/give away is good enough!) they drink while on the job (of distillation). The final product (Raki) tends to be given as a digestif after a meal - if you're lucky, the place has their own family source but even the commercially distilled stuff isn't too bad, even if it is an acquired taste!
On our first visit, we had packed everything on the night before we left, only for me to overeat and get rampant indigestion! In search of Tums or similar, I went to the supermarket next door and managed to convey indigestion (dyspepsia) at which point the lady tutted and told me I didn't need tablets, I needed "viatamines" and she poured me a very generous shot of Raki (Tsikoudia) which left me with a cleared case of dyspepsia (o at least I felt no further pain!)