A friend of the family from Hungary used to bring out home-made palinka in small 7Up bottles to sneak them past customs. He said they would drink a few shots before and after every meal. Said that was how Hungarians became the highest per-capita meat-eating country in Europe.

I just remember it burning all the way down. The recipe I mentioned was more of a sweet liqueur and with lower risk of near-fatal distillation mishaps.

Will have to look into maceration. Thanks for the tip!