Description: The bilberry, almost unknown in the history of medicine, and often confused with the myrtle, was often used by the northern populations to dyed their clothes violet with their artificial colourings. But this was not the only application because the bilberry was also fermented and then distilled to obtain a brandy of pleasant taste. This tradition still exists in the northern populations, where the bilberry Grappa is one of the most popular spirits.
Ingredients: - 200 g bilberry - 1 liter of Grappa
Preparation: In fact, you can obtain a very good bilberry Grappa with a handful of berries, which are usually picked during a walk in the mountains. You only need 200 grams, but the fruit must be dried in the sun for a long time before then they will be placed in 1 liter of Grappa. This preparation, combined with the trick exposing the bottle for a certain time to the sun, which should be shaken from time to time, allows us to achieve a very pleasant violet color and a very sweet taste. Vaccinium Mirtillum is the scientific name of the bilberry, so called because it resembles a small myrtle, while Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea describes the so-called lingonberry. It was thought that the lingonberry would grow abundantly on Mount Ida on Crete and would look like a small grape vine with a few red pearls.
The berries of the lingonberry can also be used to flavor the Grappa: the process is similar to the Grappa of bilberry. The result is a pink color and a rather bitter taste, which can be improved by the addition of the licorice root. The Grappa of both berry varieties are naturally filtered and can be consumed after a few months of aging. However, it can also be enjoyed with its fruits after the addition of some cane sugar.
