Ratafia

A type of liqueur made from any one of several stone fruits. The name is often used for an Italian cherry liqueur that is made using whole cherries, including the pits, for flavoring. Ratafia also refers to a liqueur made with an infusion of bitter almonds and apricot or peach kernels (the seeds inside the fruit pits). The name for the liqueur is said to have derived from the Latin saying Res rata fiat, which was used when a treaty or settlement was ratified (formally confirmed and agreed to by both sides). Because these occasions usually called for a liqueur toast, the phrase was shortened and came to refer to the liqueur itself. Another explanation says that the word ratafia comes from the French West Indian creole dialect where it was also used in toasting, but with rum, the ratification of an agreement, again derived from the Latin phrase rata fiat, meaning “let the deal be done.”