Grappa Cranberry Jelly
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: January 3, 2009

I'm not a big grappa fan. I've tried to like it, just as I've tried to like Scotch, vodka martinis and other "high octane" beverages. I simply cannot seem to acquire the taste. I was always told, "It's an acquired taste. Someday you'll like it." Well, I'm 40, so I'm fairly certain it's not going to happen, this so-called taste acquirement that all my friends seem to have obtained so easily in their middle age. Sigh.
Then, for Thanksgiving Tracy brought over a beautiful cranberry jelly. She exclaimed proudly, "It's made with grappa!"
Uh oh.
I grabbed a spoonful and waited for the grappa assault, the kind that makes my face screw up in weird contortions. But...wait...no...could it be?? Oh yes.
Crazy good. 
I took another, bigger, spoonful. The flavor of the grappa perfectly intertwined with the cranberry. Neither taste dominating the other, yet both standing out spectacularly. And I enjoyed the grappa! Immensely even!
That was over a month ago and I am still thinking of that wonderful jelly. So I grabbed our bottle of Averna grappa before Barnaby could finish it off (having acquired the taste long ago) and made a small batch. While I still cannot seem to sip a glass of this elixir without wincing, it sure tops the list when combined with cranberries.
Grappa Cranberry Jelly
Adapted from a recipe found on Epicurious.com
1 1/4 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries (4 1/2 cups)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups cold water, divided
1 cup grappa, divided
4.5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes)
Bring cranberries, sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, and 3/4 cup grappa to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Simmer partially covered until most of berries have burst and mixture is thickened, approximately 15 to 20 minutes: stir occasionally.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard then discard the solids. (You will need 2 1/2 cups liquid.) Stir together gelatin and remaining 1/4 cup water and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring 1 cup drained cranberry liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan, then add gelatin mixture and stir until just dissolved.  Add gelatin mixture and remaining 1/4 cup grappa to remaining 1 1/2 cups cranberry liquid and stir well. Pour cranberry sauce into lightly oiled non-reactive mold. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firmly set, at least 12 hours.
To unmold, dip mold in a large bowl of warm water (water should reach halfway up mold) for 5 seconds, then run tip of a thin knife around edge of mold. Tilt mold sideways and tap side against a counter, turning it, to evenly break seal and loosen jelly. Keeping mold tilted, put a plate over mold, then invert jelly onto a plate.