304297 Sat Jun 24 20:24:45 -0700 2006 55 36 Spirits 0 1710409 Over the past few weeks I have been going wild starting liqueurs for the holiday season. So far I have: Banana Ginger Honeysuckle Flowers Jalapenos Lychee Lemoncello Limencello Orangecello Marmalade (from homemade candied honeybell orange peels) Peach Pear Raspberry Strawberry Rumtopf (mixed fruits in rum) Leoninch (dried cranberries, dried apricots, toasted almonds, toasted walnuts) Sweet Saunf [Pudina extract (Mint) marinated, sugar paste covered, toasted Indian Saunf (aniseed)] Ataulfo "Champagne" Mangoes Kiwi Fuit Turkish Coffee Cranberry Green Tea Cape Gooseberries, dried Apricot, dried I plan on making a couple of liters of all fruits as they come into season this year, and also some vegetables and flowers. I am thinking day lilies next. Sat Jun 24 20:24:45 -0700 2006 10732 JMF 1 1710725 Could you tell me more about how you make these? Sun Jun 25 01:49:55 -0700 2006 1710409 11296 Darren72 1 1710756 First, before you start, make sure that you write down and save notes of everything you do, and at what point, over the weeks and months it takes to make these beverages. This will help you repeat sucesses or improve the product over time. For a small batch, when I try a recipe for the first time, I take a 1 liter canning jar and fill it about 3/4 full with rough chopped fruit and a teaspoon to tablespoon of fresh citrus juice such as lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc. (For limoncello and other citrus zest based liqueurs you use only the citrus zest with absolutely no white pith and about 10% of the juice.) I try to imagine what flavor of citrus would go best, but this small an amount really adds no discernable flavor to the finished product. Lemon seems to add the least flavor in the long run, so I use it most often. The citrus adds acid which keeps the fruit bright and fresh looking and tasting and also makes the flavors stand out more. I then fill the jar right to the top with vodka and seal it. Don't chop the fruit too fine. This will get more flavor from the fruit but means much more filtering at the end. I sometimes leave the fruit in larger chunks so I can use the fruit at a later time as a desert over ice cream or cake. You can also use rum, whiskey, gin, etc. instead of, or for part of the vodka. It's all up to what gives you a thrill and you think will be tasty. I suggest using at least 3/4 vodka to start. Then you put the sealed jar in a cool dark place for 2-6 weeks. Shake the jars every few days to mix them up. I usually age it at least 4 weeks. Then strain out the fruit and filter the liquid. If the fruit is in chunks a strainer or colander will get out the big chunks. I then use a clean bandana or old bedsheet or other fine cloth and pour the liquid through this. If it doesn't go through easily I twist it up in a ball and squeeze it until all the liquid is removed from the fruit pulp. Then I filter it through coffee filters in a funnel several times until reasonably clear. It doesn't have to be totally clear at this point. Here's where you decide whether you want infused vodka or a liqueur. For infused vodka filter until clear, bottle and let age at least 2-4 weeks. For a liquer make a simple syrup of equal parts water:sugar. Add this to the fruit/vodka liquid to taste. At least 1:2 syrup to fruit/vodka liquid and up to 1:1. When it tastes right or even a bit too sweet you then seal it in jars for at least another month to age and smooth out. You may need to add a bit more citrus juice to bring up the acid level depending upon the fruit. It will get slightly less sweet and acidic tasting during the aging. It can be drunk at this time but the longer it ages, up to a year, the smoother and better it gets. Filter one more time or until clear and bottle. You will end up with around 1 1/2 - 2 liters of liqueur. Serve straight up in liqueur glasses, on the rocks, or use in cocktails. You can also use it in recipes for cooking and baking that call for syrups or liqueurs. Sun Jun 25 02:22:02 -0700 2006 1710409 10732 JMF 2 4668692 What should I do now... I've had loquat halves sitting in about a pint of vodka for about a year. Didn't use any juice to keep the fruit bright. Currently it's very light amber, not cloudy, fruit light tan. Anything to worry about? What would be the tastiest thing to do with it at this point? Sat May 09 10:04:51 -0700 2009 1710756 40486 Cinnamon 3 4673681 just stumbled upon this thread again after several years. Since then I went pro, but still learning through trial and error works best. Filter the loquat infusion through coffee filters until clear, then taste. See if you think it needs sugar, more alcohol, or a few drops of lemon juice. Then let us know. Mon May 11 11:13:59 -0700 2009 4668692 10732 JMF 4 4675021 Will do. Just read your blog info - congratulations on the new gig! Mon May 11 18:09:06 -0700 2009 4673681 40486 Cinnamon 1 1711378 It is the perfect time to make nocino, a green walnut liquor. Usually you can find them at farmers markets in June and July. Sun Jun 25 18:14:08 -0700 2006 1710409 11225 rabaja 2 3848099 Do tell. How? Tue Jul 08 07:19:47 -0700 2008 1711378 79652 itryalot 1 1711773 I haven't started any yet, but I intend to. When blackberries come in, I plan to try my hand at some blackberry brandy, and I may do something with some stone fruit, as well. I'm also planning to make vin d'orange again. It's a fortified red wine flavored with roasted dried orange peels, based on a very old provencal recipe, that's better the longer it gets to age before it's strained. It's a delicious chilled as an aperitif. One sweet liqueur I like as a flavoring for a cocktails or to pour over ice cream or for flavoring yogurt, ricotta, etc., that's not season-dependent is dried apricot liqueur. It gets really good apricot flavor, and the booze-soaked apricots are terrific eating afterwards, too. Sun Jun 25 23:40:13 -0700 2006 1710409 10074 Caitlin McGrath 1 1712241 My orange/coffee liquer is coming along well. The sugar has dissolved, and the vodka is taking on a golden tone. I can't believe I only have abou 17 more days left in this 44 day recipe! (Pei, formerly known as nooodles) Mon Jun 26 07:02:05 -0700 2006 1710409 11577 Pei 2 2485993 I was given this recipe over the christmas season. It was called 44 liquer. How did it turn out? Mon Apr 16 12:31:01 -0700 2007 1712241 59951 thinks too much 1 1712458 We have some bergamotcello going that needs the simple syrup added to it pronto. We plan to make nocino soon, and my husband also wants to make vin de noix with some green walnuts. We are currently saving apricot pits to infuse into some grain alcohol to make a liqueur that tastes like almonds. Mon Jun 26 14:44:06 -0700 2006 1710409 10658 Atomica 2 1712842 One thing to consider is that Fruits of the rose family--including cherries, apples, plums, almonds, peaches, apricots, and crabapples--contain in their seeds cyanogenetic glycosides, which upon eating release hydrogen cyanide from an enzyme reaction. While eating them in small numbers is relatively safe, in a liqueur the chemical components are much increased so you can't drink too much liqueur made from apricot or other seeds/kernels. Bitter almonds contain the largest amount of the chemical, and while the quantity varies from report to report it takes anywhere from 20-70 of them to kill an adult, 2-10 to kill a child. Eating a handful to a cupful of bitter almond kernels could be dangerous. Sweet apricot kernels are much safer but there have still been deaths from eating them. Also bitter almond and bitter apricot are sometimes mislabeled and sold as the other. Children, the elderly, and pregnant women should probably stay away from any of these seeds/kernels in any form. Do some web searches on apricot kernels, bitter almond, bitter apricot, etc. and see if you feel the risk is worthwhile. Mon Jun 26 18:10:42 -0700 2006 1712458 10732 JMF 3 1713407 Eh, he makes this every year and we aren't dead yet. Pei, we just save several dozen apricot pits over the course of a couple of months and infuse some Everclear. The pits naturally impart an almond flavor on their own. Luckily the baby seems to like apricots, taking the onus of eating any off of me. I find them too mealy. Mon Jun 26 21:24:53 -0700 2006 1712842 10658 Atomica 3 1713547 I wonder how the makers of Amaretto DiSaronno deal with that, as the liqueur is made from apricot pits. Mon Jun 26 22:15:14 -0700 2006 1712842 10996 JK Grence the Cosmic Jester 3 3846495 I am not a scientist or a doctor. Until recently, many naturopaths recommended the consumption of apricot kernels to those fighting cancer (they're high in vitamin B17). For years people were consuming up to thirty a day. It's only recently that the guidelines for apricot kernels have reduced the recommended dosage to 2 per day ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4901132.stm ). So for years and years people with cancer (i.e. pretty immuno-suppressed) were consuming massive quantities, without all of them dying from cyanide poisoning. I personally take comfort in that. Having cooked with apricot kernels, I've found they are particularly strong in flavour, so you could actually keep within those revised guidelines and still make a product with good noyau flavour (assuming you won't be drinking half a bottle of noyau vodka at one go!). I find toasting them in the oven destroys their delicate flavour, so I infuse custards with the raw kernels, roughly chopped, over low heat. Makes a magical ice cream. Mon Jul 07 15:38:27 -0700 2008 1712842 10431 Gooseberry 4 3848103 Where can you get said kernels? Tue Jul 08 07:21:10 -0700 2008 3846495 79652 itryalot 1 1712612 Oh, I'm so curious about almond flavoring. How do you do that? How many pits do you need to save, what do you do to them other than cleaning and drying them, and do you just grain vodka? Mon Jun 26 16:44:30 -0700 2006 1710409 11577 Pei 2 1712849 You can get great almond flavored liqueur by just using almonds. Either plain of roasted. To give them a more bitter and complex taste you can add citrus juice and zest. If you leave some of the white pith on the zest you will get bitterness which will aproximate the bitter apricot/peach kernel taste but safely. Also real almond extract works well, although I rarely use extracts if the fresh fruit or nut is available. Mon Jun 26 18:13:30 -0700 2006 1712612 10732 JMF 3 1719487 Alice Waters points out in her fruit book that the pits of apricot, peaches, and cherries can be roasted at 350 for 10-15 minutes (to kill the enzyme in question), cracked open, and then roasted again (if you're still worried) for a few more minutes. This year I'm doing plum with Everclear instead of potato vodka and green walnut if I can find some walnuts. I like the dried apricot idea mentioned by Caitlin McGrath above. Seems like a great use for those tasty Blenheim apricots you find at Trader Joe's (besides eating them with squares of bittersweet chocolate). Thu Jun 29 19:50:57 -0700 2006 1712849 10654 petradish 4 1719536 Does she mention where the research is from about this? It sounds great but I want some science to back it up. I did some web research on it but nothing has come up so far. Thu Jun 29 20:10:16 -0700 2006 1719487 10732 JMF 5 1720155 She doesn't mention how she arrived at that method. Maybe put up a new post on general topics for the scientific types to weigh in on or even contact Alice. The kernels are called noyaux, in case there's some French research available out there. I'm too enamored with its flavor to care, risks and all. Fri Jun 30 01:07:41 -0700 2006 1719536 10654 petradish 5 1720694 I did some research, heat treating fava beans, which have cyanogenetic glycosides, the precursors to cyanide, only lowered the amounts by 30-60%. That said, for an adult I don't personally feel any danger in moderate consumption for something so interesting. Sadly research is extremely variable about this subject. Some reports state that 10 apricot/peach/bitter almond kernels can be fatal and some say 50-70. Just a few can be fatal if you are on the cancer medication Laetrile. Fri Jun 30 13:35:28 -0700 2006 1719536 10732 JMF 4 1721720 Dried apricots also make great flavored vinegar. Chop them, put in a jar, cover with white wine vinegar for at least a month. Fri Jun 30 21:02:10 -0700 2006 1719487 12823 Junie D 4 2483864 What's the advantage of Everclear over vodka? Sun Apr 15 17:50:06 -0700 2007 1719487 40486 Cinnamon 4 4668702 Why Everclear instead of potato vodka... also, more generally, how important is the quality of vodka? If relatively inexpensive vodka is fine to use, that would be great and would allow more experimentation... do the finer points of better vodkas get lost when you infuse and age and potentially make a liqueur? (Favorite brands for this?) Sat May 09 10:08:34 -0700 2009 1719487 40486 Cinnamon 5 4668954 Relatively inexpensive is fine, and you definitely shouldn't waste premium-priced spirits if they're going to be flavored. One book I have prefers 100 proof vodka foe liqeuers and cordials (these are often diluted slightly with a simple syrup), but I have often used standard 80 proof. Sat May 09 12:05:41 -0700 2009 4668702 10074 Caitlin McGrath 6 4670703 Thank you. Sun May 10 09:14:49 -0700 2009 4668954 40486 Cinnamon 6 4673692 I agree, for the home cordial maker vodka is ok, 100 proof better. But I have found out that in the distillery using NGS (like Everclear) extracts more flavors, faster, with less spoilage rate of sweeter and juicier fruits. Mon May 11 11:16:40 -0700 2009 4668954 10732 JMF 1 1712640 I made Nocino,apricot cordial and cherry bounce. I will still make plum. Anyone ever make blueberry? Mon Jun 26 16:55:02 -0700 2006 1710409 12861 coralv 2 1712793 Blueberry comes out great, real easy to make as well. I have made it with raw and heat treated bluberries. Different flavor each way. You have to mush up the berries either in the aging jar or in a blender. Heat treated I did the same way as raw but put the jar in a ten minute hot water bath after a few weeks of aging, This made it much thicker bodied, it was hard to strain and filter but well worth it. I did the same with cranberries and it blew away the raw cranberry liqueur.. Mon Jun 26 17:55:31 -0700 2006 1712640 10732 JMF 2 2486003 I added lemon to my blueberry, which richened the flavor, but I did it with vodka. I tend to prefer brandy-based liquers Mon Apr 16 12:33:09 -0700 2007 1712640 59951 thinks too much 1 1718244 Ijust started two bottles of plum liqueur. Thanks for the inspiration. Thu Jun 29 05:54:32 -0700 2006 1710409 10331 heidipie 1 1719673 Although I haven't made a lot of infusions lately, I've been collecting *lots* of beautiful vintage bottles at thrift stores and estate sales for my cranberry vodka. They will make lovely Christmas presents. I did a kumquat infusion a couple of months ago. I'd really like to try raspberry or blackberry--thanks for the reminder. Here is a photo of my cranberry infusion... http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/Funwithfood/e91b8bcf.jpg Thu Jun 29 20:59:16 -0700 2006 1710409 10309 Funwithfood 1 1720263 Beautiful! How do you close those bottles? Fri Jun 30 02:27:17 -0700 2006 1710409 11577 Pei 2 1720839 I first infuse the vodka in huge glass jars. When ready to "serve", I funnel the finished infusion into pretty glass bottles, then toss in cranberries to the height that looks good to me. Fri Jun 30 14:55:14 -0700 2006 1720263 10309 Funwithfood 1 1720930 The Chez Panisse cookbook has a number of good ideas. I use the proportions to make Brandied Sour Cherries. We use them to top ice cream or as a Manhattan cocktail garnish. The brandy itself is wonderful served with desserts or poured onto steamed puddings. Brandied Cherries Use pitted or unpitted sour cherries. If you pit them, retain some pits to add to brandy. They are very pretty left whole with the stems. Do not use overripe fruit. Use the best brandy you can afford, certainly something that is drinkable on its own. Kirsch is also suggested but I haven't tried it. For each pound of sour cherries, use 2 cups of brandy and 3/4 cup of sugar. Mix in quart jar and hold for one month in a cool pantry before using. Storing in the refrigerator after the first month. Enjoy. Fri Jun 30 15:34:48 -0700 2006 1710409 10099 JudiAU 1 1721417 I adore lemoncello. I am having a hard time understanding how to make this, as have not done before. Can you post a recipe especially for this? I have some shrimp and pasta with a lemoncello sauce at an Italian restaurant and now I want to try my hand. TIA! Fri Jun 30 18:58:44 -0700 2006 1710409 15139 Diane in Bexley 1 2486025 I am also a cordial person, though sometimes I am rude. I'm hoping to start some herb and spice ones soon to tide me over until fruit season is here again. I want to do a clove one and I've been debating about rosemary. How did your mango come out? Ours was fairly cloudy and not especially flavorful. I'm also very curious about your honeysuckle flowers. Care to expand? We have had people following us for our pineapple-orange (rum-base), cranberry, and our spiced plum. We've noticed that the plum one got significantly better with time, like over 2 years. What methods are people using to get the sediment out? Siphon? Strainer? Cheesecloth? Coffee filter? Just interested in a rough poll. Mon Apr 16 12:39:16 -0700 2007 1710409 59951 thinks too much 2 2486625 Yes, I'm curious about the honeysuckle flowers too. Our honeysuckle has just started to bloom. Mon Apr 16 15:25:47 -0700 2007 2486025 17481 QueenB 2 2486670 I made one from Santa Rosa plums two years ago, it was a beautiful color from the skins. Just halved and pitted them and filled a glass jar, covered with vodka and added sugar. I decanted without straining and don't worry about the little bit of sediment. The fruit got eaten over ice cream. Hopefully the poor tree which seems to be on last legs will give up one more crop. Mon Apr 16 15:41:15 -0700 2007 2486025 71215 mlgb 2 2486923 What about rosemary lavender, with much much much less rosemary? (Lovely scent combo at least.) Mon Apr 16 17:23:21 -0700 2007 2486025 40486 Cinnamon 3 2490183 That sounds much more pleasant than a straight up rosemary. Are you opinionated about which alcohol to use? (I would think in this case vodka, though I rarely use it in cordials) Tue Apr 17 16:48:16 -0700 2007 2486923 59951 thinks too much 4 2490677 Hmm. I don't know. I'm new to this. I'll vote for vodka too. (If you don't like it, it ideally would then still make a lovely pillow/room spray!) :) Tue Apr 17 19:45:40 -0700 2007 2490183 40486 Cinnamon 2 4673704 Honeysuckle first version had a great aroma and decent flavor but turned a sickly brown over time. I did it again with some lemon juice and double the amount of flowers and used NGS and it came out much better. Mango was also a disappointment the first time but I played with it using differing variations and it too came out better. Mon May 11 11:19:19 -0700 2009 2486025 10732 JMF 1 2742184 This post might be a little old...I hope you guys are still looking at this. I am really new to making these types of recipes, my first attmept was blackberry liqueur and cordial last summer that I was pleased enough with to continue. Can anyone recommend a book or site with pictures to help me along the way? Thu Jul 12 00:08:59 -0700 2007 1710409 67706 WCchopper 1 2742289 Wow! Talk about steep learning curve for me! This loos so interesting. What is the shelf life and how do you have to store? How do you seal the bottles? Do you drink these straight? What flavours of these seem to be the most popular? I would love to make some for Christmas gifts. Anyone else trying it for the first time. I would love to do the gfood old apricot pit one; but what is the kernel? How many do you actually need? Thu Jul 12 04:17:08 -0700 2007 1710409 79652 itryalot 1 3837136 Wow, you really know what you're doing! I'd love to make a red currant rum... any idea of what proportions might work, based on your experiences? I am thinking perhaps a infused rum and liqueur to see which we like better. Currants can be so sour that I thought we might like the liqueur straight-up and the infused rum in mixed drinks. I'm currently (har har) assuming something like 1 or 2 cups of currants per 750 mL, and I am tempted to give the liqueur a 10 minute warm water bath per advice I've seen around Chowhound. What do you think? Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated! Thu Jul 03 14:02:44 -0700 2008 1710409 183643 sfumato 2 3848087 Why the water bath? Tue Jul 08 07:17:07 -0700 2008 3837136 147296 kimeats 3 3848464 I read in another CH thread that it's a very good way to make a thicker liqueur, and I was excited to try it out. I'll see if I can find the thread... Oh, too funny, it's this one! JMF posted about the water bath appx. 15 posts upthread. Tue Jul 08 09:04:54 -0700 2008 3848087 183643 sfumato 1 3848118 Has anyone tried this recipe. A friend emailed it to me; based on Jamie Oliver's. I would do regular organic lemons and not sure where to get the proof. 6 sorrento Lemons skins, cut off not peeled (unwaxed) regular organic 1 litre of the 98% proof alchohol 1 kg of granulated sugar 1 litre of water De-skin the lemons and place in a large conatiner (i usually add some juice from 2 of the lemons). Poor the 98% proof booze over the top and leave to 4 weeks, shaking/ mixing occasionally, (remember this alchohol will evapourate so seal the container). remove the lemon rind from the liquid, (it should have taken some colour on by now), boil the water and add the sugar to make a syrup. Cool for 15-20 minutes and add the 2 liquids. Hey presto an authentic Limoncello, bottle and store in the freezer, remember to serve ice cold.Can be kept in the freezer too. It is 50% proof, you may want to water it down, or not! Also, any citrus can be used, Arancello (orange) is seen occaisionally in Italy. Tue Jul 08 07:26:16 -0700 2008 1710409 79652 itryalot 2 4673715 sounds good except you have to use only the colored outside zest of the citrus peel, no white pith or it will be bitter. Mon May 11 11:22:03 -0700 2009 3848118 10732 JMF 1 4733695 I currently have: Ginger, Blackberry, Raspberry, Fresh Apricot with Cinnamon, Rosolio( Red Rose and Vanilla), Meyer Lemoncello, Tangerine, & Cherry liqueurs going. Ginger and Blackberry are my current Favorites. I'm about to try blueberry.I tried Mint, faux-Baileys,& Cofee- feh! Honeysuckle sounds interesting. Does it avoid tasting soapy? Mon Jun 01 15:57:22 -0700 2009 1710409 324951 Zul 2 4874865 Zul, would you please provide details on your Fresh Apricot liqueur? What proportions did you use? Which alcohol? How long did you infuse? How do you store once infused? Did you save the apricots for further use? How do you store those? Thanks a bunch! I am thinking of buying some excellent Blenheim apricots this Wednesday and giving it a go. Mon Jul 20 13:31:18 -0700 2009 4733695 16109 sweetTooth 1 4738929 Any advice on how to increase the tanginess of a liquer? I have some great aroma for a pineapple/rum liquer and flavor, but not enough tartness. Has anyone experimented with grinding up vitamin C's for the Ascorbic Acid? Wed Jun 03 09:42:43 -0700 2009 1710409 59951 thinks too much 2 4740984 You can buy citric acid granules (or other things like that), sometimes it's at grocery stores. I'm not up on the subtle taste differences between that and phosphoric acid etc. Wed Jun 03 20:28:45 -0700 2009 4738929 40486 Cinnamon