Yacov Morad Teaches Us Simple Recipes for Delicious Homemade Liqueurs in ‘Beyond Grapes’ [REVIEW]
February 26, 2022 Leave a comment
When we travel, we love discovering new vineyards, languishing in their tasting rooms, and sampling new wines. We’ve sipped traditional reds and whites in California, muscadine wines in Texas, and ice wines in Canada. But it wasn’t until we went to New Mexico that we tried pistachio wine! Until that point, we had no idea our favorite adult beverage could be made with anything other than grapes. But it was spectacular, and we couldn’t get enough of it. Now, Israel’s world-famous winemaker Yacov Morad totally blows our minds with Beyond Grapes, a book that proves you can make your own liqueur using any fruit, vegetable, or plant you want!
Morad started out making traditional wines just like his father did in the family vineyard. He recalls watching his father pick the grapes, squeeze them and ferment them in clay jugs. Young Yacov was an apt pupil, and by the time he was 12, he was making wine himself. It wasn’t until he met his future father-in-law that he discovered that wine could be made from other things, including pumpkins, pomegranates, apples, carrots, and more.
After he married his wife, the Morads moved to Northern Israel where Yacov started experimenting by fermenting fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants. Since then, Yacov opened his own winery, and the rest, as they say, is history. People from every corner of the globe have visited his winery to try his unique wines and liqueurs, and now he’s sharing his trade secrets in this invaluable new book.
Before you start saying that you don’t have the equipment it takes to make liqueur, don’t fret. The tools needed are surprisingly simple and include two hermetic jars; a large pot; two empty, clean jars; a strainer or cheesecloth; a funnel; a measuring cup; and plastic storage containers for leftovers. The only thing we didn’t have on hand were the hermetic jars, which you can find on Amazon for less than $22 for a pair. So, this really isn’t a huge investment!
The only other item you’ll need is this book, and soon you’ll find yourself making specialty liqueurs in surprising flavors like Nutella, peanut butter, cola, mushroom, and more. If you’d rather stick with the fruit varieties, there’s always peach, banana, blueberry, and grapefruit, to name but a few. Then, if you’re feeling super adventurous, you can make mixed liqueurs, such as pineapple apricot, mango passion fruit, coconut honey, or chamomile elderberry. And if you’re an herb lover like us, you might even want to go for the lavender, mint dill, or fennel liqueurs. As you can see, we aren’t joking when we say that the only thing that limits your creativity is your own imagination! Finally, as an added bonus, Morad also teaches you how to make homemade vodkas and moonshines.
We love this book because each recipe comes with full color photographs so you know how your homemade beverages should look. We will warn you, however, that each recipe uses metric system measurements. But if you have good measuring glasses, they should already have those measurements on them. You just may not have noticed them before if you’re cooking in America.
If you love unique cookbooks and yummy cocktails, we recommend that you order Beyond Grapes today. It will ignite your imagination and tantalize your tastebuds, and either prod you to make your own beverages from scratch or book a flight to Israel to visit the Morad Winery yourself. Enjoy!
Yacov Morad is a winemaker, author, and founder of Morad Winery in Israel. At the tender age of 10, he watched his father make wine on a small plot of land just outside their home, and by the age of 12, he was making wine all by himself.
After 30 years of experience, he decided to convert his lifelong hobby into a full-time profession, so in 1999, Morad Winery opened its doors to rave reviews and international press–all of whom were fascinated by the fact taht a small winery in Israel can make wine out of parsley!
The winery became a household name. Yacov appeared on a great many popular TV shows and news broadcasts and hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors from all around the world in his boutique winery’s visitors’ center.
For more information about Morad Winery visit Morad.co.il, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
BEYOND GRAPES
By Yacov Morad
134 pp. Library Tales Publishing. $26.99
Purchase Beyond Grapes direct from Jathan & Heather Books or from one of these other fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Powell’s, or Walmart.
Beyond Grapes is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.
About Jathan Fink
Jathan & Heather 