Chacha is Georgia's traditional spirit, a clear brandy distilled from the skins, seeds and stems left after pressing grapes for wine, the last act of the harvest in a country that has been making wine for some eight thousand years. Families distill their own in village stills, and homemade chacha can be very strong indeed. At a supra, the Georgian feast, it is usually poured into small glasses and drunk neat in the course of the toasts led by the tamada, the toastmaster.

Drunk neat it is a test of character. Shaken into a sour with lemon and a syrup of Georgian honey and tarragon, the herb behind the country's favorite green soda, it becomes something you can sip through a race rather than survive. This is a modern way to serve a very old spirit; the zero proof version keeps the herbs and the brightness.

Honey and tarragon syrup

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (115 g) honey
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) water
• 1 small bunch (about 10 sprigs) fresh tarragon

Method

1. Warm the honey and water in the saucepan over low heat, stirring, until the honey dissolves, about 2 minutes. Take off the heat, add the tarragon sprigs, press them under with a spoon and leave for 30 minutes. Strain and cool.

The sour

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) chacha
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey and tarragon syrup
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water or white grape juice
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 2 small tarragon sprigs

Method

1. Put the chacha, lemon juice, syrup, water or grape juice and ice in the shaker. Close it and shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds.
2. Strain into the chilled glasses and float a tarragon sprig on each. Taste: if it is too sharp, add a teaspoon more syrup to the next round.

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