Grappa

Italy's firewater, refined: grappa is distilled from the pomace — the skins, seeds and stems left after winemaking — turning the harvest's leftovers into liquid gold. Ingredients: fresh grape pomace from a single variety or blend (today's fine grappas name their grape: Moscato, Nebbiolo, Prosecco), water, and the distiller's patience. Method: 1) Distill the fermented pomace promptly, in bain-marie or steam stills, to capture the grape's aromatics. 2) Rest in steel, or age in wood for golden riserva styles. 3) Serve in a small tulip glass, neat, at cool room temperature. The experience: intensely grapey and floral in youth; honeyed, nutty and deep when aged. History: grappa was the humble farmers' spirit of northern Italy — Bassano del Grappa is its symbolic home — until pioneering families in the 1970s showed the world that a single-variety grappa could stand beside fine brandy.