Vin de Noix a Success

About this time last year, I bottled my first batch of Vin de Noix. Vin de Noix, or some related beverage, is from France, Spain and Italy. I have to admit, I have never tasted real Vin de Noix, but I stumbled upon a recipe some time ago…and became intrigued. So, I found some walnuts around the beginning of July, and chopped them into quarters. (The shells are not hard at this point. They are months from ripening.) I steeped these, and some cloves, in inexpensive red wine for two or three months. At the end of this time, I mixed the strained wine with a bottle of brandy. Then I put a dollop of honey in each bottle, filled the bottles with the concoction and capped them. At the time, the mixture tasted vile, I have to admit. I suspect, if I ever eat shoe polish it will have a similar flavour. Somewhat discouraged, I boxed the drink up and put it away. The intention had been to give it to friends for the winter holidays. But, I like my friends pretty well, so I decided not to inflict them with this. Today, I braved up…hoping it had mellowed. I was pleasantly surprised. It tastes a bit like Glog, and will be a lovely gift this winter…an after-feast digestif around the fire.