Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (19 page)
Authors: Andrew Schloss
Tags: #liquor, #cofee, #home cocktails, #cocktails, #liqueurs, #popular liqueurs, #spirits, #creamy, #kahlua, #unsweetened infused, #flavored alcohol, #bar recipes, #sweetners, #distilled, #herbal, #nutty, #creative coctails, #flowery, #infused spirits, #clones, #flavorings, #margarita, #home bar, #recipes, #cointreau, #cocktail recipes, #alcohol, #caramel, #homemade liqueurs, #fruity, #flavoring alcohol
Pine nuts are harvested from about a dozen different types of pines, most commonly in Asia (Korea and China), the southwestern United States, and Italy. Each type has its own shape and size, and most important for our purposes, different fat contents. Italian
pignoli
are the leanest and most expensive but the best for making liqueur; the others will precipitate an oil slick on the surface of the finished liqueur.
Staying in the Italian style, the liqueur is flavored with rosemary, orange, and a hint of vanilla. Sugar is kept low to allow the resinous piney qualities to shine through.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 pound Italian pine nuts
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) vodka (80–100 proof) - 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1
⁄
4
vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split - Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 3
⁄
4
cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the pine nuts and stir until the nuts are aromatic and lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Dump onto a baking sheet and let cool until just warm to the touch, about 10 minutes. - 2.
Chop the nuts finely; it’s easiest to use a food processor. Put the nuts into the work bowl of the processor, and chop using 3-second pulses until uniformly finely chopped, like coarse sand. - 3.
Combine the vodka, chopped pine nuts, rosemary, vanilla, and orange zest in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 4.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of rosemary and orange, and subtly piney, 7 to 10 days. - 5.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 6.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 7.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Skål!
Serve simply over rocks or use in a glaze for roasted chicken or pork.
Mild and fatty, macadamias and coconuts are unlike other tree nuts. Truly tropical, they are low in pungent tannins and alkaloids. Both have exceedingly hard shells and, particularly in the case of macadamias, are almost exclusively sold already shelled. The macadamia has the added distinction of having the highest fat content of any nut grown commercially, a whopping 72 percent (mostly monounsaturated). In this exotic liqueur the nuts are toasted, which improves their flavor immeasurably.
Makes about 1 quart
- 12 ounces blanched macadamia nuts
- 8 ounces lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut (2
2
⁄
3
cups) - 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) light rum (80 proof) - Finely grated zest of 2 limes
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the macadamias and coconut and stir until the nuts are aromatic and the nuts and coconut are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Dump onto a baking sheet and let cool until just warm to the touch, about 10 minutes. - 2.
Chop the nuts and coconut finely; it’s easiest to use a food processor. Put the mixture into the work bowl of the processor, and chop using 3-second pulses until crumbly. - 3.
Combine the rum, nut mixture, and lime zest in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 4.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of nuts and coconut, 7 to 10 days. - 5.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 6.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 7.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Bottoms Up!
Use this liqueur to spike a Hawaiian Mojito (
page 244
) or a Cola Coffee (
page 243
).
There are one to two million poppy seeds in a pound, give or take a couple of thousand (3,300 in a gram). The flavor is oily and complex and the color a beautiful blue-black. Unfortunately for making liqueur, that color is an illusion. The outside pigment layer is brown but is covered with calcium oxalate crystals, which refract light in such a way that the selected wavelengths appear blue. When tinctured, the crystals disappear and the brown pigment comes through. In spite of the less attractive color, this liquor has a savory flavor and rich consistency.
Makes about 1 quart
- 12 ounces poppy seeds, about 3 cups
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) golden rum (80 proof) - 1 vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Grind the poppy seeds in batches in a small spice grinder into a grainy paste. - 2.
Combine the rum, poppy seeds, and vanilla a quart jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 3.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of poppy seeds, 7 to 10 days. - 4.
Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 5.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 6.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
L’chaim!
Poppy seed liqueur is best served simply over ice.
The purpose of a flower is singular and its life is fleeting — it exists to attract pollinators with its seductive scent or scintillating color or both. Once that task is complete, the scent subsides, the color fades, and the blossom shrivels and dies.
- Chamomile Angel
- Elderflower Blush (Copycat St-Germain)
- Hibiscus Citrus
- Honeysuckle Honey
- Hop Blossom
- Lavender Harmony
- Lavender White Tea
- Orange Blossom
- Pure Gold
- Raspberry Rose
- Rose-Sauternes Cordial
- Ruby Slippers
Although all parts of edible flowers are edible, the petals (corolla) are the main source of volatile chemical aromas and pigments, so it is largely the corolla that is used for liqueur making. The main exception is saffron, which is the stigma (the pollen-holding part) of a crocus.
Although fresh flower petals are readily available from your garden or party stores and websites that sell them for tossing at weddings, dried petals are preferred for tincturing. Their perfumes and colors have been stabilized, so they yield more consistent results, and the volatile elements are concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way.
Dried petals are available online and in specialty stores (see
Resources
). Drying flowers is not difficult, but you need a few days with relatively low humidity. Tie freshly picked flowers into bouquets and hang upside down in a dark, dry, well-
ventilated
area. Depending on the size and type of flower, drying will take anywhere from 24 to 96 hours. When the petals feel dry but not brittle, store them in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.
When making flower-infused liqueurs, only use flowers that are edible to begin with. Soaking poisonous blooms in alcohol doesn’t make them any less toxic.
- Angelica
- Chamomile
- Daylily
- Elderflower
- Fruit blossoms
- Geraniums
- Hibiscus
- Honeysuckle
- Hops
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lilac
- Linden
- Marigold
- Nasturtium
- Pansy
- Rose
- Violet
- Anemone
- Buttercup
- Columbine
- Daffodil
- Foxglove
- Hydrangea
- Iris
- Lily of the Valley
- Narcissus
- Oleander
- Poinsettia
- Privet
- Rhododendron
- Sweet Pea
- Wisteria
Lavender is well known for its powers of relaxation, hence its inclusion in sachets, massage oil, and bath soap. It also is a classic culinary herb, highlighting scores of dishes flavored with
herbes de Provence
. This simple aromatic dram takes its inspiration from both attributes, amending lavender’s delicate floral perfume and light flavor with the herb and fruit scents in Dutch-style gin. The lighter lavender notes are strengthened with a bass chord of vanilla, plus some honey for harmony.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) Dutch-style gin (80 proof) - 1 ounce (about 2
1
⁄
2
cups) dried lavender blossoms - 1 vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
- 1 cup honey
- 1.
Combine the gin, lavender, vanilla, and honey in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 2.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of lavender, 3 to 5 days. - 3.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 4.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Skål!
Use in place of vermouth in a bourbon Manhattan or mix up some Blue Lavender (
page 254
).
White tea is quite cool. Comprising both the buds and leaves of the tea plant, it has a floral quality that is unique among teas, making it a natural partner to other floral flavors. When brewed, the resulting tea is closer to pale gold; its name comes from silvery hairs on the unopened buds that give the tea leaves a whitish cast.
The botanicals are minimally processed, being dried only enough to wither the buds and leaves. The leaves are not allowed to ferment as they are in the production of black and oolong teas. White tea contains high levels of catechins, which help to reduce the occurrence of the atherosclerotic plaques associated with stroke and coronary thrombosis.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 cup vodka (80–100 proof)
- 2 cups dry vermouth (18% ABV)
- 1 ounce (about 1 cup) white tea leaves
- 1 ounce (about 2
1
⁄
2
cups) dried lavender blossoms - 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka, vermouth, white tea, and lavender in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 2.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of lavender, 3 to 5 days. - 3.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 4.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 5.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Sláinte!
A natural for spiking an iced tea or mixing with lemon-lime soda over ice.
In this simple liqueur, dried honeysuckle blossoms are infused into brandy that has been gilded with a bit of honey. Deceptively innocent and decidedly scrumptious, the booze glows like amber and smells like a summer evening. You can employ it wherever you would normally add sweet vermouth, add it to a steaming cup of herbal tea, or just sip it unadorned, speakeasy style, from a demitasse.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) brandy (80 proof) - 1 ounce (about 2
1
⁄
2
cups) dried honeysuckle flowers - 1 cup honey
- 1.
Combine the brandy, honeysuckle, and honey in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 2.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of honey, 3 to 5 days. - 3.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 4.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
The boudoir scent of dried rose petals is matched sublimely by Sauternes, a wine that is distinctive for being made from fruit that has been affected by
Botrytis cinerea
, a.k.a. noble rot. The grapes shrivel on the vine, turning partially into raisins, which results in a concentrated sweetness and intensely perfumed wine. The combo is enough to cause a statue to swoon.
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 cups Sauternes (15% ABV)
- 1 cup vodka (80–100 proof)
- 1 ounce (about 2
1
⁄
2
cups) dried rose petals - 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the Sauternes, vodka, and rose petals in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything. - 2.
Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of roses, 3 to 5 days. - 3.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 4.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 5.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Salut!
Serve at room temperature or ever so slightly cooler in small stemware. In the summer it makes a seductive spritzer.
