Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (24 page)

Decades ago, when I was a chef in a small boutique restaurant in Philadelphia, our most popular dessert was a deep-dish apple–sour cream pie with a walnut streusel topping. This liqueur is the liquid incarnation of that sublime creation. Tangy and rich, mildly fruity, and zanily nutty — its pleasures just don’t stop. Everyone I have offered a sip to ends up polishing off the whole bottle.

Makes about 1 quart

• 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
  
• 3 large apples, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 4 ounces walnut pieces, toasted and ground
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks, cracked
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups
  Tangy-Creamy Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka, apples, walnuts, and cinnamon in a half-gallon jar. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 5 days.
   
2. 2.
   Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar.
   
3. 3.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, 1 to 2 days. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.
   

Note:
After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, the cream from the simple syrup may rise to the top of the liqueur. If this happens, shake the mixture to redistribute the cream.

Sláinte!
Makes a belly-busting creamy Appletini.

Peaches and almond praline are intimately united in my taste buds of memory. It could be because I associate both of them with a summer spent in an organic garden in Louisville, Kentucky, or because they are a natural flavor pairing (the kernel of a peach pit is a form of bitter almond). I have made this liqueur with both white sugar and brown sugar syrups. The color is purer with white (a glorious pastel peachy orange), but the praline flavor is way better with brown. Since my passion for eating and drinking has always been centered more in my mouth than my eyes, I use the brown syrup every time.

Makes about 1 quart

• 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
  
• 3 yellow peaches, pitted and finely chopped
  
• 1 vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups
  Brown Cow Simple Syrup
  
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka, peaches, and vanilla in a half-gallon jar. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 5 days.
   
2. 2.
   Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar.
   
3. 3.
   Stir in the simple syrup and extract.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, 1 to 2 days. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.
   

Note:
After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, the cream from the simple syrup may rise to the top of the liqueur. If this happens, shake the mixture to redistribute the cream.

Skål!
Sip warm, spiked with a thimble of bourbon or brandy.

M-m-m-milk jam! Dulce de leche, the Spanish cooked sweet-milk preserve, is commonly spread on bread for breakfast or snacks or turned into a dessert sauce. Recently it has become the base for a number of boutique liqueurs. Use this lovely liqueur in a Caramel Martini or in place of crème de cacao for a caramelized Brandy Alexander.

Makes about 1 quart

• 2
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups dark rum (80 proof)
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
  
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  
• Pinch of fine sea salt
  

1. 1.
   Combine the rum and vanilla in a half-gallon jar. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 3 days.
   
2. 2.
   To make the dulce de leche:
   Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Pour the condensed milk into a glass pie plate or shallow glass baking dish and stir in the salt. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Set the pie plate in a roasting pan and add hot water to the roasting pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the pie plate. Make sure the edges of the foil are not hanging in the water.
   

   Bake until deeply browned, about 1 hour, adding more water if the level in the roasting pan gets low. Remove from the oven and let cool; whisk the dulce de leche until smooth. (You can make this ahead and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month; warm gently in a warm water bath before using.)
   

3. 3.
   Remove the vanilla bean from the rum. Add the dulce de leche.
   
4. 4.
   Seal the jar, and shake to combine. Store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, about 1 day. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.
   

Note:
After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, the cream from the simple syrup may rise to the top of the liqueur. If this happens, shake the mixture to redistribute the cream.

In 2004 the city of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, was certified as the official birthplace of the banana split, 100 years after its creation. First made by soda jerk David Strickler at the Tassel Pharmacy, the banana split, bursting with a variety of flavors, was a staple of soda fountains for most of the twentieth century, vying with the simpler and arguably more elegant hot fudge sundae for a spot as the most iconic ice cream treat of all time. This liqueur captures three of the split’s essential components — bananas, chocolate syrup, and vanilla ice cream — in a creamy confection.

Makes about 1 quart

• 2 cups light rum (80 proof)
  
• 3 bananas, peeled and finely chopped
  
• 1 cup (4 ounces) cacao nibs
  
• 1 vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups
  Creamy Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the rum, bananas, cacao nibs, and vanilla in a half-gallon jar. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 5 days.
   
2. 2.
   Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar.
   
3. 3.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, 1 to 2 days. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.
   

Note:
After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, the cream from the simple syrup may rise to the top of the liqueur. If this happens, shake the mixture to redistribute the cream.

Bottoms Up!
Blend with ice for an instant Banana Daiquiri.

Lemon and cream generally don’t play nicely together — the one being highly acidic and the other prone to curdling. Most recipes keep the two quarantined, but here, using lemon zest instead of lemon juice eliminates the acids. All that’s left is a ton of fragrant lemon-scented oil that marries beautifully with a simple syrup to create a deliciously curious couple. Lemon Mousse is a lovely pastel yellow, but its brilliant lemon flavor is anything but muted.

Makes about 1 quart

• 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
  
• Finely grated zest of 4 lemons
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups
  Creamy Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka and lemon zest in a half-gallon jar. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 5 days.
   
2. 2.
   Strain out the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar.
   
3. 3.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, 1 to 2 days. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.
   

Note:
After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, the cream from the simple syrup may rise to the top of the liqueur. If this happens, shake the mixture to redistribute the cream.

Prost!
Spoon over berries or sip in a Lemon Cooler (1 part Lemon Mousse and 2 parts lemon-lime soda).

My cooking career commenced with chocolate milk. I made it every day after school, and my technique, though self-taught, was flawless. Chocolate syrup (I was a devotee of Bosco) was drizzled in the glass first, followed by just enough milk to match its volume, tablespoon for tablespoon. The syrup had to be completely dissolved in the first round. Add too much milk too soon and inerasable chocolate skids irreparably marred the glass. If I did my job well, the rest was a breeze — just thin the chocolate base with more milk and drink up.

This recipe is nearly as straightforward. The biggest difference is that you have to make your own chocolate syrup; commercial brands are too sweet for this adults-only chocolate milk.

Makes about 1 quart

• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• ²
  ⁄
  ₃
  cup sugar
  
• Pinch of fine sea salt
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
  
• 1 cup
  Creamy Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in the water until smooth. Turn the heat to low and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool.
   
2. 2.
   Combine the vodka, chocolate syrup, and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar.
   
3. 3.
   Seal the jar and store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, 1 to 2 days. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.
   

Note:
After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, the cream from the simple syrup may rise to the top of the liqueur. If this happens, shake the mixture to redistribute the cream.

Sláinte!
Gulp a glass well-chilled, with a cookie chaser.