Italy’s Fiery Soul

Grappa has warmed soldiers, laborers, and Hemingway. Should it be on your dinner table?

Like most people, I swore off grappa the moment the first fiery sip scorched its way down my throat. I coughed and blinked through watery eyes, convinced the heavy, attention-grabbing bottle of what tasted like high-octane moonshine wasn’t for me.

Yet today, years later, I have become a grappa evangelist. I bring bottles as housewarming gifts. I shun re…