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Coffee
in company
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| Share
a comforting cup of coffee with your closest friends
in this traditional friendship cup all the way from
Italy's Val d'Aosta |
 According
to the old Italian saying "Chi beve solo si
strozza" - "Drink on your own and you'll
choke". A risk you're unlikely to run in the
Val d'Aosta where hospitality reigns supreme. What
better way to while away the cold winter nights
than to gather around a warm open fire and share
a grolla with your friends?
There's no need for alarm. We're not inciting you
to partake in illegal acts. A grolla is the traditional
cup of friendship used in the valley. It is a deep,
wide wooden bowl complete with a number of spouts.
The idea is that you drink from your spout and then
pass on the bowl. Legend has it that the grolla
is a direct descendant from the mythical Holy
Grail. So gather round good knights, for
some of the Val d'Aosta's famed tipsy coffee.
Caffè Valdostano for 4:
First make four generous cups of expresso coffee.
Add 2 glasses of grappa, lemon peel, four spoonfuls
of sugar, and a glass of Genepy - a traditional
liqueur from the area - you can use red wine if
you don't have Genepy. Heat through and pour the
piping hot liquid into the grolla. Hold a lit match
in front of the spouts - you should see a bluish
flame - blow it out and enjoy your steaming cup
of coffee. Be careful not to burn your tongues!
If you haven't a grolla don't despair. Make do by
heating the mixture in a small saucepan over a camping
stove which you can place in the middle of the table.
Stir until heated through. Set alight then fill
a ladle with the coffee and pour it back into the
saucepan through the flame, taking care not to burn
yourselves. Serve in previously warmed cups which
have been dipped into sugar.
Take a look at some of these traditional handcrafted
grollas
as well as selection of other local woodcraft.
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| by
MARCELLO
PARMEGGIANI |
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Jan.
17th, 2002
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
