Here is my artichoke aperitif

Here is my artichoke aperitif formula. I was originally shooting for a copy of Cynar, but ended up with something lighter and less bitter. I like it, and alternate between it and Cynar for my aperitif (although, sometimes I go for Campari, vermouth, or some other).

I tend to especially shy away from exact quantities in liqueur formulae, as the quality of ingredients varies so much that they are all but useless. Also, I have found that people like to sweeten and color and glycerin their liqueurs to vastly different limits. I go for a moderate sweetness, with good structure (provided by alcohol), and fairly bright colors (especially in my limoncello). I tend not to use glycerin, because that tends to force the liqueur into the category of an after dinner drink, and I like the versatility of a thinner drink.

I use vodka as my base, and fairly cheap stuff. The considerable time it spends in the sun, the filtration, the aromatics, and the sweetening all tend to make expensive vodka a bit pointless. However I fail to see the point of drinking vodka cocktails (especially that abomination called the vodkatini), so the only time I buy decent vodka is for parties. If I look in the liquor cabinet and find that there is too much vodka for the foreseeable future, I use what I have, whether it is cheap or not. Since I live in California, I cannot get pure grain alcohol. I would if I could, as it would be very easy to calculate proof. I would probably shoot for 40 - 60 proof if I were calculating it, but I do it by taste. An even better choice would be to use grappa, but grappa is not cheap, except for once in a great while when some dodo buyer at the big chain overbuys and it goes on fire sale. I do use grappa to correct the alcohol content, after the liqueur has been steeped, filtered and sweetened (and if, after bottle aging it still needs an alcohol boost). I have some cheap grappa that works fine, although I do not stick strictly to one type.

I first made this stuff when I had gone overboard on ORGANIC (important) baby artichokes at the farmers’ market around Easter. I was doing a lot of baby artichoke risotto, and had a lot of waste from trimming the artichokes (stems, tough leaves, etc.). Since I was itching to make Cynar that did not cost me $18 a bottle, and had too much vodka in the cabinet, I figured it was time to experiment. So I took all of these trimmings from the well-washed (cold water only) ORGANIC baby artichokes and put them in a jumbo mason jar. I also added some sliced artichokes so that if there were anything different about the heart, it would be there too. Then I added:

Zest from an orange
Stick of cinnamon
A few whole cloves
A few whole allspice berries
A few juniper berries
A sprig of organic rosemary
A handful of organic lavender blossoms.

And then I covered the whole thing with vodka. I covered it, using a new rubber gasket (a one-time use product when making liqueur) and let it sit in the afternoon sun all summer (on a west-facing windowsill). Every few days I shook it. It was not pretty – a brownish concoction of thistle clippings in liquid is not appealing.

When it was getting close to ready (in the autumn), I made a simple syrup (water and sugar in equal proportions with either corn syrup or cream of tartar added to prevent syrup weirdness) and let it cool. I filtered the steeped liquid through several layers of cheesecloth into a large bowl. I added syrup and grappa (if the alcohol needs cutting use distilled water) until it tasted just about balanced and bottled it in sterile sherry and port bottles. I put the bottles into a dark closet and let them age until around Christmas. They get better and better with age. They do throw a deposit, so it is good to let the bottle you are using to stand upright for a few days so that it is clear. If you are picky you can fine the liqueur with a bit of tube (I would do this on a bottle I gave as a gift), otherwise just be careful to avoid the sediment (it is harmless, just not pretty). Serve on the rocks with a twist of orange. Even my mother, who does not like Cynar, likes this one.