U.S.

    Ingredient

 Metric

This recipe, by Giuliano Bugialli,  makes about 7 cups of Alkermes----You only need 1/4 cup for making 8 pounds of Mortadella di Prato! Adjust the recipe accordingly.
 

To prepare the Alkermes, place all the spices except the vanilla bean in a marble mortar and grind them with the pestle. Cut the vanilla bean into five pieces. Place the ground spices and vanilla pieces in a glass jar with screw top. Add the grain alcohol or the vodka and 1 ½ cups cold water, then close the jar and let it stand for one week, shaking the jar once a day.

When ready, dissolve the sugar in the remaining 2 cups of cold water. Add the water with the dissolved sugar to the jar, cover and let rest for one more day, shaking twice during this period. Strain the contents of the jar through a coffee filter into large crockery or glass bowl. Add the rose water to the bowl then transfer the contents to two bottles. Close the bottles and let rest for one more day.

3½ cups

Water, cold

875.0 ml

1¾ lb.

Sugar

795.0 g

3 cups

Vodka

750.0 ml

½ cup

Rose water

125.0ml

5¼ tsp.

Cinnamon

  12.0 g

5½ tsp.

Coriander seeds

  10.0 g

1½ tsp.

Cochineal dye¹

   7.0 g

¼ tsp.

Orange peel, dried

   5.0 g

1 tsp.

Anise seed

   3.0 g

1½ tsp.

Mace

   3.0 g

1 tsp.

Cloves, whole

   2.5 g

½ Tbs.

Cardamom pods

   1.5 g

½ bean

Vanilla bean