Today, you will learn about traditional Dubrovnik recipe for Rozulin (or Rozalin), well known among the older generations. I remember when I was a little girl, my grandma used to make it every spring. She would pick the most beautiful roses from our garden and make this sweet liquor that looked like magic in a jar and smelled like heaven. She would filled some fancy bottels with it and kept it on the top of our kitchen cabinet (SPECIAL OCASSIONS ONLY!) She would serve it to her classy group of friends whenever they would visit. They would sit at our beautiful Dubrovnik terrace, and enjoyed the view while sipping this tasty Summer apéritif. There are many things we should learn from Dubrovnik women, and this liqueur is definitely one of them!
You will need :
At least 12 roses (old-fashioned Centifolia sort)
1 kg of sugar
1 L of some kind of brandy (preferably Rakija or Grappa)
40 days of sun
For a great homemade rose liqueur it’s important to find these, old fashioned organic roses. This could be a challenge if you don’t know where to find them. Almost every Dubrovnik garden used to have them, but unfortunately, these days, they can be pretty hard to find. You should try in Konavle or at some islands near Dubrovnik.
Wash the roses, shake the excess water off and clean them of the ants etc. And now the fun part! Take a handful of rose pettals and place them into a clean jar. Add a handful of sugar, and then rose pettals again.
Continue with this process until the jar is full and you’re out of ingridients.
Now add Grappa and voila!
Mix it all gently and close jar tightly. Keep it inside for 10 days and then place a jar on your terrace or your balcony. Keep it on the sun for 40 days. Shake the jar every now and then, but gently. After 40 days, take a cheesecloth and filter the liquer trough it.
Serve chilled in small fancy glasse. Enjoy! 🙂
