Roasted Walnut Liqueur

Strolling recently around the Kraków market square, I caught the smell of roasted nuts, honey and caramel. A distinctive smell that stays in your memory for a long time. Time to capture it in liquid form. Well, why not?

We start by roasting the walnuts. Onto a heated pan we toss two glasses of shelled nuts. After a few minutes, when a pleasant nutty smell spreads through the kitchen, we tip them onto a sieve to cool. We can shake them a few times to get rid of the burnt nut skin.

Once cooled, we toss them into a large jar and pour over 3–4 glasses of brandy or vodka. We set the jar aside for a month in a shaded place. Every now and then we shake the contents, so the alcohol draws out the flavour of the walnuts.

After a month we strain off the drink, ideally through gauze or a cloth. We boil water with one glass of honey and half a glass of sugar, stirring constantly so the syrup doesn't stick to the pot. If foam appears during boiling, we skim it off with a teaspoon.

Once cooled, we can also add vanilla extract and pour it all into the liqueur. We set the whole thing aside in the jar for at least one month to mature and develop its flavour.