What are your favorite homemade liqueurs /ck/?
I just bottled a mixed berry liqueur and an orange liqueur after being inspired by a thread a month ago. The orange was surprisingly potent and flavorful. It's a little rough around the edges, but I suppose some aging will smooth it out a bit. The mixed berry is good, but not as striking as the orange. I also have a peach mango mixture that's ready to be bottled.
So, I'm eager to make more now that I realize how well it turns out (and way cheaper than top-shelf brands), so I'm gonna get some more Everclear soon and start three more batches, one of which will def be orange. I'm thinking about maybe trying an apricot liqueur, and maybe all peach or all mango, depending on how I find the peach/mango. What are your favorite fruits to use? All strawberry sounds good too.
Simple syrup: what's the right ratio of sugar to water for homemade liqueurs? I found refs stating equal parts, and others stating twice as much sugar. I split the difference with the two I already bottled, and it's not too sweet or unsweet, but wanted some input from more experienced cu/ck/s.
Additives: are there any herbs or spices that you've used to complement homemade liqueurs? I guess a vanilla bean would work well in lots of stuff.
Aging: after bottling with simple syrup, will letting it sit for a month be long enough, or will they get much smoother with more age.
Tell me about your orange liqueur. Was it like an arancello or did you use the fruit/juice as well as the zest? I am thinking of making a tangelo liqueur, and I wonder if it would be a good idea to put the fruit pulp into the spirit.
Growing up, my mother made a pear and treacle liqueur around Christmastime each year. In the summer, she made lemon/strawberry ones.
Both are based either on vodka or grappa.
Short of candy vodka when I was at uni, I've never made liqueurs at all, so I can't give you much advice, sorry.
I can say this much, however: I made peach/passionfruit vodka using peach/passionfruit flavoured candies and that was fucking wonderful.
For herbs and spices I pair what would work well in a cooked dish; lemon or citrus + thyme and rosemary, orange + cloves, pear + cinnamon have all worked well for me in the past.
>>7418742
I used the zest of 8 blood and navel oranges, covered in 1.25 cups everclear, then add a bit of the pulp and juice, let it sit for 4 weeks.
I never read anything very clear about adding pulp and juice to the steeping mixture. Most recipes didn't call for it, but a few did add them. I thought it'd only enhance the flavor some, so I added around a couple tbsps of juice and pulp.
It tastes like oranges are exploding in your mouth. It's as good as the orange component of Cointreau etc., although it's not as smooth. And this stuff is only around $8 bucks for a bottle.
>>7418784
Yeah, I'm thinking with a subsequent orange batch I'll toss a clove in for a day. Might try to research what other spices to add to orange liqueur.
I think I'll just make 2 batches or orange this time, and try apricot, unless the peach mango turns out super good.
>>7418051
No way bruh, you from my old blood orange thread? Pic related, blood orange jalapeño margarita w/ zest and sugar rim.
Is it best to use something as strong as everclear or is vodka a good alternative? I don't personally enjoy something so sharply alcoholic, but I also understand it's not gonna work if you're basically putting fruit in water for a month.
Any good recipes for someone who's never done this before?
>>7419856
If you use Everclear you can dilute the finished product with water to the level of alcohol of your choice (which is what people normally do).
>>7419828
Yep, that's the thread that gave me the idea. Intense cocktail, man. How'd your blood orange liqueur turn out? Do you typically add any pulp or juice to the alcohol/zest steeping mixture?
>>7419856
The higher ABV of everclear is supposed to extract flavors better, and you're supposed to dilute the final product to 25-40% regardless of how strong the base is, so there want be any excessive harshness. Everclear is cheaper to use too (you don't want to use bottom-shelf vodka).
I'd try orange liqueur. It's pretty easy, and there are plenty of recipes online. Mostly it's just carefully cleaning and zesting about 8 oranges and letting it sit in alcohol for a month.
>>7419828
>>7419927
Awesome man, glad to hear you're having fun with it. To answer your original questions now:
>What are your favorite fruits to use?
Here's some mixed flavor liqueurs I've made that I've really liked:
- Pineapple Lime Ginger
- Strawberry blueberry pomegranate
- Green Apple & honey
>Simple syrup: what's the right ratio of sugar to water for homemade liqueurs?
1:1 should be your starting point. After that, just add more sugar to taste.
>Additives: are there any herbs or spices that you've used to complement homemade liqueurs?
Ginger. Hands down. Adding a bit of fresh grated ginger root rounds out flavors like you won't believe. Try adding 1-2 teaspoons to a batch of any liqueur that has tart notes (citrus, pineapple, cranberry etc). The hint of sweet spice softens the harshness of the alcohol quite well.
>Aging
3-4 weeks will be fine in most cases. If you make the liqueur 30%-40% ABV you can age it in a dark place for longer. If your purpose is reducing the bite of the alcohol 1 month will be enough, but up to 3 months could make for a slightly more nuanced taste.
>>7418051
overproof bourbon
pear shrub
vanilla beans sliced and scraped
fresh crushed allspice
mix n shake
5 days
strain the fuck out of it over and over
PERSIMMON LIQUEUR
>>7421372
This shit is good with cinnamon
>>7418051
Make some elderflower liqueur. Pick 6-8 elder flower heads, remove flowers from stalks, immerse flowers in gin, mix in some sugar. Shake daily over the course of 3 weeks. Strain with cheesecloth. Delicious.
>>7423505
>tfw no elderflower trees in my neighborhood
I'm at the mercy of Big St. Germain.
my cytrynówka - lemon vodka
-1kg lemons, 1kg sugar, 0.5l vodka, 0.5l spirytus (96% pure alcohol). + (optional spices - ginger, cinamon, orange zest)
>cut lemons into small cubes
>place in a pot (with spices) and submerge in water
>place ona stove and heat until boiling
>once it starts boiling slowly add sugar
>keep boiling until most most of the water evaporates and youre left with a thick, syroupy substance
>wait for the concoction to cool down
>once its room temperature add vodka while stirring vigorously
>then add spirytus
>strain through a sieve and pour into bottle(s)
>place in the fridge for at least a weak, shake the bottle once daily
>>7421097
post instructions for pineapple lime ginger
I made some irish cream last weekend. It tastes like a thicker bailey's, but then I realized I don't really like baileys on its own. What do people drink this stuff with, quick before it expires?
>>7427082
use it as creamer in your coffee
>>7418051
Sup OP, I'm confused as to why you're using SS. You can just add sugar if you want to sweeten your infusion.
Since you're not actually distilling anything, adding SS will cut the ABV while bringing up the sweetness, so if it's too hot just add some filtered/boiled then cooled water.
Downside of that is that the flavors you put it will be cut as well, but you just add more of the steep at the start. What you're doing is essentially making a large batch of tincture which is for adding a big flavor while only using a small volume.
As for your question about herbs, there are hundreds of them that you can use. If you have any favorite amari, research some of the key flavors in them and go from there.
Also there's a famous book out there called the Flavor Bible which I use in my profession and for home cooking. It's great for some really fun ideas and helps spur new ones.
>>7425623
Cooked lemon juice is terrible.
>>7427082
see I've always thought of irish cream as meaning putting a shot of whiskey in your coffee
also op, you might want to try your hand at wine making
>>7427345
SS in drinks is better than plain sugar because it thickens the drink. It gives the drink some amount of viscosity which can be desirable in these liqueurs.
>>7419856
High ABV neutral spirits will extract flavors more efficiently, but I prefer to use brandy as the base spirit, which I guess is a more old fashioned way.
Recipe for Orange Curacao
>Zest of 6-8 oranges
>2 tsp. dried bitter orange peel
>1 T. slivered almonds, toasted
>3 cloves
>1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
>6 drops orange flower water
>2 cups brandy
>1 cup sugar
>1 cup water
Put the brandy and the orange zest and dried peel together in a sealed container for a week and give it a shake once a day at least. Add the vanilla bean and the almonds and let sit for another week. Add the cloves and let sit an additional day. Strain out the solids and add in the orange flower water. Make up a syrup from the sugar and water, let it cool, and add to the infused brandy. Bottle and keep in the freezer.
