Description: Sharp thorns are the etymological origin of Hawthorn; its botanical name, in fact, Crataegus Oxycantha, derives from the greek and makes clear reference to the multitude of strong and sharp spines that are covering the branches of this shrub. The Hawthorn was also considered an ornamental plant exactly for its pure white flowers and its red berries, but in truth it was a plant little known in antiquity.
Little known were especially its extraordinary medicinal properties. These properties were only highlighted by the chemical investigations of the nineteenth century: it was discovered that those complex chemical compounds, present in flowers and leaves, are responsible for cardiocinetic action and are slightly sedative. Since then the Hawthorn became a celebrated medicinal plant, present in all the pharmacopoeias of the world. With its fruit instead, in the past a sugary liqueur was prepared, similar in taste to pears, which had special intoxicating properties.
But beyond this use of the fruit of hawthorn no other relevant applications in the food industry are known. Let's say that the hawthorn berries always served as an irreplaceable food for passerine birds during harsh winter seasons. But it seems fair to „ennoble" this fruit, just reminding its uses in the past: a flavored grappa with hawthorn berries exalts in fact all those flavors of pears, apples and plums, which characterize basically almost all the fruits of the Rosaceae (rose) family.
Ingredients: - 2 handfuls of hawthorn berries - 5 tablespoons of melted sugar - 1 liter of Grappa
Preparation: With two handfuls of berries, 5 tablespoons of melted sugar and a liter of Grappa the desired result is obtained. You leave the Grappa to macerate in a sunny location until the berries have completely given their color to the distillate and then will be filtered for the aging process which should last at least one month.
