Ratafia Festival in Santa Coloma de Farners

Updated November 2022

Year after year, the second weekend of November, the town of Santa Coloma de Farners dedicates a Festival to the Ratafía liquor and this year they celebrate the 41st edition of the Festival of this centenary drink during the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th of November.

This weekend is the beginning of the season to taste the Ratafía after the green walnuts and other herbs have been macerated in the sun for 40 days. In addition to tasting the ratafia, you can try many other products made with this drink, participate in activities and much more.

The ratafia is the most representative liquor in the Girona regions, among other regions of Catalonia, which is made from the maceration in brandy of fruits, herbs, roots, and species of the area. It is a drink traditionally made at home, and each family has its own recipe (some recipes are made with more than 100 ingredients) passed from generation to generation.

We offer you a basic recipe of ratafia in case you dare to try at home:

You will need a large glass bottle with a wide neck (with more liters capacity than liquor you will use), a knife, gloves (to avoid staining your hands with the green walnuts) and a good dose of patience!

Ingredients:

• Green walnuts (3 walnuts per liter of spirits).
• Brandy or sweet anise.
• Sugar (500g per liter of brandy). If you use sweet anise, don't add sugar, it already has.
• Herbs, such as mint, thyme, rosemary, fennel, oregano, sage, nettle, citronella, tarragon, chamomile, basil, elderberry, orange blossom, tile, etc.
• Species such as pepper, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, star anise, licorice, ginger, cardamom, etc.
• You can also put fruits, such as orange, lemon, blueberries, blackberries, etc.

The amounts of herbs and species depends on personal taste. Keep in mind to reduce the amount of those that have a more intense flavor, so that they do not predominate over the others.
We mix everything inside the bottle covered with a cloth and leave it 40 days in the sun (outside, but sheltered from the wind and rain). After 40 days you strain it and, if necessary, rectify it with sweetness or graduation with mineral water, you let it rest for a couple of months. After this time you re-strain and bottle.

If you are lazy to make your own ratafia or you want to discover more secrets, you can always go to the Ratafia Festival in Santa Coloma de Farners where, in addition to tasting it, you can buy it already made!