Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs by Andrew Schloss Page A
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
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mint, rosemary, basil, fennel seeds, tarragon, lemon zest, and saffron 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 herbs, 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.
Prost! Classically sipped from thimble-sized stemware as a digestif.
Orange Rosemary
If coming of age in 2009 counts as classic, then this inspired combination of orange and rosemary is pure classicism. Rosemary is strong, and when paired with other herbs it inevitably dominates, but team it with orange and the two spar and embrace as worthy collaborators. Fortunately for us, both flavors are volatile, tincturing the alcohol quickly.
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
Finely grated zest of 6 oranges
1 ⁄ 4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, crushed
1 ⁄ 2 cup honey
1 ⁄ 2 cup Simple Syrup
Instructions
1. Combine the vodka, orange zest, rosemary, 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 orange and rosemary, 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.
Skål! Sip as an aperitif accompanied by a salty hors d’oeuvre.
Cherry Basil
Similar to the orange and rosemary in the previous recipe, sour cherries and basil meet each other as equals. These are intense flavors, and because the combo is unexpected you may imagine the two would resist one another, but soon after the first sip you will not be able to remember a time when basil and cherries was not your favorite flavor combo. I first had it 20 years ago in Chablis as a fruit preserve, and since then it has come to be a favorite in pies and ice cream, and now in this cherry red herbal elixir.
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
2 pints sour cherries, stemmed and crushed (no need to remove pits)
1 bunch fresh basil, bruised
1 1 ⁄ 4 cups Simple Syrup
Instructions
1. Combine the vodka, cherries, and basil 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 cherries and basil, 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! For a Black Forest Cosmo, shake 1 part chocolate liqueur and 4 parts Cherry Basil with ice and strain.
Ginger-Cardamom Mead
Spices usually play supporting roles, enhancing the main attraction rather than taking center stage, but ginger and cardamom are hardly shy. In fact, they can be overpowering on their own, and together you might think they would be positively overwhelming. It turns out that when you give them both the spotlight, they settle down and work together. The results are pretty exciting, with pungent notes of eucalyptus and menthol, a ginger zing, and a whiff of citrus, all slathered in a floral balm of honey. This is strong stuff, but delicious amending a brandy or mixed with bourbon and a spritz of lemon.
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
1 cup finely grated fresh ginger
1 ⁄ 4 cup green cardamom pods, crushed
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 cup honey
Instructions
1. Combine the vodka, ginger, cardamom, thyme, 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 ginger and cardamom, 3
2. Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of herbs, 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.
Prost! Classically sipped from thimble-sized stemware as a digestif.
Orange Rosemary
If coming of age in 2009 counts as classic, then this inspired combination of orange and rosemary is pure classicism. Rosemary is strong, and when paired with other herbs it inevitably dominates, but team it with orange and the two spar and embrace as worthy collaborators. Fortunately for us, both flavors are volatile, tincturing the alcohol quickly.
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
Finely grated zest of 6 oranges
1 ⁄ 4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, crushed
1 ⁄ 2 cup honey
1 ⁄ 2 cup Simple Syrup
Instructions
1. Combine the vodka, orange zest, rosemary, 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 orange and rosemary, 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.
Skål! Sip as an aperitif accompanied by a salty hors d’oeuvre.
Cherry Basil
Similar to the orange and rosemary in the previous recipe, sour cherries and basil meet each other as equals. These are intense flavors, and because the combo is unexpected you may imagine the two would resist one another, but soon after the first sip you will not be able to remember a time when basil and cherries was not your favorite flavor combo. I first had it 20 years ago in Chablis as a fruit preserve, and since then it has come to be a favorite in pies and ice cream, and now in this cherry red herbal elixir.
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
2 pints sour cherries, stemmed and crushed (no need to remove pits)
1 bunch fresh basil, bruised
1 1 ⁄ 4 cups Simple Syrup
Instructions
1. Combine the vodka, cherries, and basil 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 cherries and basil, 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! For a Black Forest Cosmo, shake 1 part chocolate liqueur and 4 parts Cherry Basil with ice and strain.
Ginger-Cardamom Mead
Spices usually play supporting roles, enhancing the main attraction rather than taking center stage, but ginger and cardamom are hardly shy. In fact, they can be overpowering on their own, and together you might think they would be positively overwhelming. It turns out that when you give them both the spotlight, they settle down and work together. The results are pretty exciting, with pungent notes of eucalyptus and menthol, a ginger zing, and a whiff of citrus, all slathered in a floral balm of honey. This is strong stuff, but delicious amending a brandy or mixed with bourbon and a spritz of lemon.
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
1 cup finely grated fresh ginger
1 ⁄ 4 cup green cardamom pods, crushed
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 cup honey
Instructions
1. Combine the vodka, ginger, cardamom, thyme, 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 ginger and cardamom, 3
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