Vin d'Orange or as those of us whose native tongue is English would say 'Orange Wine' is a delicious, liquid gold apéritif. For a nation that is well known for it's ability to drink we have surprisingly no tradition for a pre dinner tipple, an apéritif, an apertivo and probably due to that, liquers before grub and indeed the digestifes that follow suit, without question, on the continent just don't feature here-pity I say, pity! And much like the tradition of consuming beverages on mainland Europe there is a point to the consumption of these liquid 'amouse-bouches' - apéritifs enliven the senses and prepare you for the food to come and digestifes are taken after a meal -to aid digestion. An amazing Italian digestivo is called Cynar it is derived from atichokes & tastes quite bitter -but the bitter is good it stimulates the gall bladder to produce bile which aids digestion. This is a beautiful French recipe taken from Diane Henrys 'Salt Sugar Smoke'. It is so simple, cost effective and delightful that you'll wonder where it's been all your life.

What you need;

500g Organic Oranges -roughly chopped
1x750ml Dry White Wine
200g Sugar
6tbs Brandy

What you need to do;

Combine the oranges and wine and leave in a cool dark place for 2 weeks giving it a shake every now and then
Strain the wine and over a very low heat dissolve in the sugar
Add the brandy and bottle -leave in a dark place for at least a week...if you can!
Serve over plenty of ice