ratafia

[rat-uh-fee-uh]

noun

a sweet liqueur made from wine or grape juice combined with brandy or other spirits and often flavored with almonds, fruit, or fruit kernels.

Also rat·a·fee

[rat-uh-fee] /ˌræt əˈfi/.

Origin of ratafia

Borrowed into English from French around 1690–1700

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ratafia

Historical Examples of ratafia

From their replies, the Emperor suspected that it was ratafia; but he would not have sworn to it.
The Fte At Coqueville
Emile Zola
The yolks of eight eggs, about eight drops of essence of ratafia.
My Pet Recipes, Tried and True
Various
It was cheap, clean, certain, and the taste of ratafia was far from unpleasant.
When Ghost Meets Ghost
William Frend De Morgan
Ratafia is similarly manufactured, also by preference from a gean.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1
Various
Mix them with the flour and sugar and then very, very carefully add a few drops of ratafia.
My Pet Recipes, Tried and True
Various

British Dictionary definitions for ratafia

ratafia

ratafee (ˌrætəˈfiː)

noun

any liqueur made from fruit or from brandy with added fruit

a flavouring essence made from almonds

Also called: ratafia biscuit mainly British a small macaroon flavoured with almonds

Word Origin for ratafia

C17: from West Indian Creole French

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ratafia

liqueur flavored with kernels of cherries, apricots, etc., 1690s, from French ratafia (17c.), of unknown origin; perhaps ultimately from the same source as arrack.