There are a couple of things I really like. Cocktails. And gifts.
The cocktail thing I’ve written about so much on this blog that I’m not even going to bother to link to any specific entry. It’s all over the place.
The gift thing? I’ve mentioned it in passing. I love love love getting gifts. In my line of work I am actually pretty lucky in that respect. Although since it’s all in the name of research, can I really call the box of grappa or balsamic vinegar that the producers send me to sample, gifts?
But of course the gifts I really treasure are those from my friends. Especially the gifts they make. And you can imagine how excited I get when a hand made gift actually dovetails into my love of cocktails.
This happened the other evening when my friend Nathalie brought me a bottle of home made ginger liqueur. Nathalie is French, lives in Rome and had been tweeting about this spicy sweet stuff a while back. Once made, she wasn’t only sipping it, but drizzling it on things like dark chocolate brownies.
As you know, in twitterdum, we all often say things like “yum, send me some,” when reading especially delicious sounding tweets, with no real hope of ever getting any. Well, this time it actually worked. At a recent meet up of Rome food bloggers and tweeters, Nathalie presented me with this exquisite little bottle of golden elixir.
Thank you my dear!
And, me being me, my thoughts immediately shifted to the what-cocktail-can-I-use-this-in mode.
First, let me say, that the ginger liqueur tastes amazingly good on its own. Domenico and I managed to finish off a few glasses in no time. At first sweet, the intense ginger spiciness sneaks up on you, leaving almost a burning (but burning in a good way) sensation.
So I knew the little bottle would stand up pretty well to any cocktail I devised.
Oranges seemed the natural pairing, since they’re in season right now and somehow their healthy aspect seemed to go well with the whole ginger-is-good-for-you thing. (I know, I know, it’s a cocktail) And to pep it up, without really affecting the gingery notes, a shot of vodka.
That red stuff you see at the bottom of the glass? That’s just a sunken maraschino cherry. For no good reason at all, except it looked very pretty. Kind of like the red ribbon that Nathalie tied to the top of best gift I’ve gotten since my birthday. 
Ginger Orange Cocktail
1 oz ginger liqueur (Maybe Nathalie will add the recipe below in a comment?)
1.5 oz vodka
2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1 maraschino cherry
Pour ginger liqueur, vodka and juice into shaker. Add ice and shake to chill.
Strain into martini glass. Add cherry. 
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So glad you like it. You can easily make your own as that liqueur is dead easy to make; it only takes time.
You need: a litre of pure alcohol (between 90 and 95% – you can find it at any supermarket, here).
A big root of ginger (how much depends on your taste. At least 100g and work upwards from there), peeled and cut into thin strips.
Water (0.8l)
Acacia or multi flower honey (400 g)
A big pot.
Empty bottles.
You let the ginger sleep in the alcochol for a month. After that term, you heat up the water gently with the honey and stir until the honey is dissolved. Do not heat up to much, in particular if you are using organic and un pasteurized honey as it would kill all the nice healthy properties.
Mix the alcohol with the honey/water solution. You could filter the ginger out or let it in. If you let it in, the taste will only intensify lightly and the liqueur will get cloudy at the bottom (there is always a slight clouding anyway but unfiltered liqueur can get really opaque).
Bottle.
Voilà.
For people living in countries where pure alcohol is not easy to find, the recipe can be made using neutral vodka or grappa. The infusion time is however doubled: you need to wait 2 months. And you will need to add undiluted honey directly into the mix at the end, shaking the bottle to dilute it (not perfect but it works). Or leave the honey out of the equation altogether, for a sharper taste.
Thank you!!!!
Alternatively, you can now buy The King’s Ginger liqueuer http://thekingsginger.com/
Hope that’s helpful.
Ooh! that looks lovely. Will search it out.
As someone I know would say, “Yum, send me some!”
sounds deeeVINE!
my husband would love this!!
We love any kind of liqueur!!