These bottles contained home-made Mirabelle liquor.
In 1986 these two bottles were filled with Raymond Baptiste’s (Daniele’s father) renowned Mirabelle liquor.
The drink started with Raymond harvesting golden, round Mirabelle plums from his four hilltop trees in Domevre. Then, by hand, he removed the large pit and then fermented the crushed mass.
Raymond would take the liquid across the road to the shack of the local distiller who would heat the liquid with an underneath burner and then collect the vapor, drop by drop.
You can only imagine the crudeness of the process and the wide range of chemicals that weren’t eliminated by the distillation. Nevertheless, at Christmas and New Year’s Eve and other special events, if we were lucky enough to be in Nancy we’d get a glass of chilled Mirabelle served in these handmade Syrian glasses, which Raymond acquired in Syria in World War II.
The liquor packed a punch consistent with the crude distillation described. I drank it very slowly.
Yonet write that the name Mirabelle is like the name champagne and Roquefort and is a protected French name. The liquor cannot be called in Mirabelle in the United States. He said they might be called yellow or golden plums if available and that they would grow great in the Catskills.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025 !
The liquor was served in these glasses from Syria.
(Editor’s note: Palisades resident Howard Yonet has an interesting collection of curios from around the world and with his permission, Circling the News is publishing one a week. About the collector: Dr. Howard Yonet was born in Brooklyn in 1934 and attended Brooklyn College. He went to Baylor Medical School and then returned to do an internship at Bellevue Hospital. Yonet completed his residency at the Manhattan V.A. and the Montefiore Hospital. During this time he went skiing in Vermont and the Catskills, and while traveling found barns filled with early American pieces. This led to his interest in American Antiques.
In 1965, he married Daniele, who was originally from Nancy, France. During the Vietnam War, Yonet was drafted as a medical officer and stationed in Landstuhl, Germany (1966-1969). This was close to the French border, which meant he and Daniele and could visit her family.
While abroad, the Yonets took weekend trips through France and Italy, purchasing many interesting pieces at flea markets.
The family settled in Pacific Palisades in 1970 and Yonet practiced general radiology until 2006. He continued to acquire antiques and collectables at estate and garage sales and the Salvation Army Store. He also enjoyed looking for collectibles while traveling in Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Massachusetts. Daniele’s family helped add to his collection.)