Maria and Eva Konecsny suggest enjoying it in a pretty little glass after eating a big piece of gingerbread or any other cake, at any time of the year!
They also love to drink it when playing cards.
Spiced Christmas schnaps
Weihnachtsschnaps
Makes about 250ml (1 cup) at 35% to 38% alcohol
Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian
5 cardamom pods, bruised
Peel of 1 orange, sliced and without pith
250ml (1 cup) high-quality 37% to 40% spirit, such as korn or gin
1 to 2 heaped tsp runny raw honey
½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
1 cinnamon quill
1 cassia stick
8 star anise
2 cloves
Method
Taste daily to see when you are happy with the infusion. The longer you leave the infusion, the more the anise flavour will develop from the star anise.
Strain off the liquid, put the whole ingredients in the compost and return the infused spirit to the bottle.
Add the honey to the bottle, depending on your taste, and shake vigorously to dissolve it, about 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla bean and seeds and swill the bottle to disperse the seeds. Let this infuse for at least another week before serving.
You can then either remove the vanilla bean or leave it to continue infusing.
Store indefinitely in your drinks cabinet.
Cook’s notes
Korn is a popular German white spirit made from fermented grain and is commonly used to make schnaps infusions.
THE BOOK
Kindred Recipes, spices and rituals to nourish your kin, Maria and Eva Konecsny, Pan Macmillian.
