I love making (more than drinking) liqueurs 🙂 for the tons of flavour they bring to cocktails – sweet cocktails for a sweet tooth.
Since I first made vanilla extract, the idea of going further, not only with seeds has taken root.
There are a few principles to this:
- Read before you make – the internet is full of knowledge. If you seek, you shall find. If you have an idea, best check to see if/what others have experienced
- Clean utensils. Make sure everything is clean
- Careful handling of the fruit/ nut. Yes, the alcohol will kill bacteria but no need to make it hard for it
- Good quality alcohol, . Truth is some of the harshness of the alcohol will disappear but you want this to be drinkable even
Alcohol proof is a measure of how much ethanol (alcohol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage…In the United States, alcoholic proof is defined as twice the percentage of ABV…100-proof whiskey contains 50% alcohol by volume; 86-proof whiskey contains 43% alcohol; Wikipedia
I present the base of four (4) liqueurs:
A liqueur (US /lɪˈkɜr/ or UK /lɪˈkjʊər/) is an alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit that has been flavored with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nutsand bottled with added sugar or other sweetener (such as high-fructose corn syrup). Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long after the ingredients are mixed, but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry; Wikipedia
Coconut Liqueur
I chopped up coconut in my blender without water and topped it up with rum.
I considered adding sugar from the get go but decided to wait till the rum is infused with coconut flavour. I’ll then mix in some sugar syrup, leave it to ‘mature’ and it is ready to drink.
I think I should add some vanilla pods as vanilla and coconut make a really great pair. My own ‘Malibu’.
Mango & Lime
On point one – ‘Read before you make’, I had the good mind of starting this off with a puree of mangoes but comments like ‘Mango liqueur – how do I keep it from being disgusting‘ convinced me that was perhaps not a smart idea.
‘Quick item – it may be that what is causing the problems has nothing to do with oxidation, but with enzymatic reactions. Mangos (sic), Papayas and Pineapples all have high amounts of protease enzymes, and I’ve found that it creates very unstable infusions.
Reminded me of my zobo jelly issue that wasn’t first time around thanks to Mr Bromelain from pineapple:).
And so I went with chunks of mango, strips of lime because mangoes and lime are a thing and vanilla pods, split to draw out the seeds and flavour.
I did read that cooking/ baking aided the stability of the mangoes but I have an intense dislike for cooked mangoes and the flavour is not what I’d want to replicate so…I went the way of raw.
I’ll let you know how it all pans out when I have the taste test.
Zobo & Ginger
Washed and dried Zobo leaves, cloves and fresh ginger go into a mix of vodka and tequila, only because I didn’t have enough of both.
What I love from the get go is the colour – deep and rich. I am excited about using it.
Chili Gin
This is a riff on the Nigerian gin peppers. Here, green chilies and scent leaves are combined. Think of it like hot sauce. It would be great in Bloody Marys.
So yes, simple explorations and experiments. Results awaited.
If you’d like to explore the world of alcohol infusions, Gunther Anderson is a GREAT resource on everything about Liqueurs from technique to recipes.
Peace & Love.
What would you like to make a liqueur of?[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Homemade: Tropical Fruit Liqueurs – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
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