Alchermes, anyone?
 

We greatly enjoyed Zuppa Inglese while in Florence last year and the recipes I find call for Alchermes liquore. Does anyone know where I can find some, either in market or online?

I know there are substitutes and will resort to them if necessary, but am hoping someone will know where I can purchase the real thing.

Thanks!
Linda

I've never seen Alchermes in the U.S., though I did bring a bottle home from Italy this year. A little goes a long way, as it's very sweet and very bright red (colored with cochineal), and many people find the flavor of rose water to be a bit off-putting.

Found a recipe for home brew Alchermes here (the second recipe on the page): http://www.italiancook.ca/liqours.htm

Alchermes is not a brand name per se, so the taste may vary a bit among producers, and this recipe looks like it would be about right. It does not include the coloring, however, so you'd have to make up for that.

There are thousands of recipes in English and Italian that use Alchermes, chiefly to make zuppa inglese, but the only place I found that actually sells the stuff is here:

http://www.dileva.it/shop/cerca.asp?lg=it

It's a hugely expensive version (as you would expect) from the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella: 32 Euro for 500 ml.

And shipping to the U.S. is 46 Euro...

Well . . . I guess I will use the suggested substitutes for now! I can't remember offhand all of them, but I remember one was amaretto. I like amaretto, but it will not be the same.

I could kick myself for not purchasing Alchermes at the Farmacia SMN when I was there. I thought about it, but didn't. :(

Thank you both so much!
Linda

Do note that you can buy versions of Alchermes that are much less expensive than the Farmacia SMN version.

And if you're going to use another liqueur off the shelf you'll want to use a drop or two (really, just a few drops will suffice) of rosewater in addition, as that's the one particularly distinctive flavor in Alchermes.