Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (13 page)

Arugula (known as salad rocket outside North America) has grown in the poor soil of the Mediterranean since Roman times. It serves as the pungent and spicy base for a peppery digestif called Rucolino made on the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples. It was touted as a powerful aphrodisiac herb by Virgil and throughout the medieval period, but is now most commonly used as an innocent salad green. I think in truth that its power lies somewhere in between.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) English-style gin (80 proof)
  
• 4 cups arugula
  
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
  
• Pinch of sea salt
  
• 1 cup
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the gin, arugula, lime zest and juice, and salt in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of arugula, 5 to 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
5. 5.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Skål!
Serve over ice before or after a meal in the same way you would serve any herbal digestif.

Licorice-like flavors are ubiquitous in the manufacturing of liqueurs. There are probably more anise/fennel/licorice-flavored liqueurs than any other single flavor base. Within that family of inebriating elixirs, which includes such regal names as anisette, Pernod, ouzo, and absinthe, this style of fennel liqueur, made principally from fennel bulbs, is the lightest and freshest.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
  
• 3 tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed
  
• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka, fennel bulb, and fennel seeds in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of fennel, about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
5. 5.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Sláinte!
Use for a switcheroo on a Screwdriver or Italian Kamikaze (
page 252
).

Scooping out and gorging on the rich, creamy flesh of baked sweet potatoes is so intrinsic to our notion of its pleasures that it overshadows our perception of its flavor, which we think of as equally rich and creamy. In actuality it is sweet, clean, and nutty. In this liqueur, the corporeal flesh turns to spirit, and that fresh rooty flavor comes through. It is supported with traditional yam-flavoring agents: ginger, orange, honey, and brown sugar.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups bourbon (80 proof)
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups dark rum (80 proof)
  
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded
  
• 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, coarsely shredded
  
• Grated zest of 2 oranges
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks, cracked
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup honey
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup
  Brown Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the bourbon, rum, sweet potatoes, ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, honey, and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid has a creamy mouthfeel and smells and tastes strongly of ginger, cinnamon, and orange , about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Prost!
Use as base for an Old-Fashioned or Manhattan.

In the world of beverages, refreshment abounds, but not so much in the land of liqueurs. Liqueurs are generally spoken of in terms of flavor impact, mouthfeel, and potency. This liqueur changes that. Like its namesake, it is cool and clean and crisp, a liquid cucumber essence. I’m sure there are tons of cocktails that would benefit from it, but I can’t stop drinking Cucumber Martinis long enough to think of any.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) Dutch-style gin (80 proof)
  
• 4 Medium English cucumbers, ends trimmed and coarsely shredded
  
• 8 fresh dill sprigs
  
• Pinch of sea salt
  
• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the gin, cucumbers, dill, and salt in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of cucumber, about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
5. 5.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

L’chaim!
See Cucumber Martini 2 (
page 248
). And I did think of one more — the Archangel (
page 247
).

Celery is another definitively refreshing vegetable, but unlike cucumber it has a long beverage tradition. Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray tonic was first manufactured in 1868 in Brooklyn, New York, as a therapeutic beverage. There is no evidence that it had medicinal powers or that there ever was a Dr. Brown, but the flavor stuck. It is still being produced today, and this is my inebriated tribute. Unlike the soda, which is strongly flavored with celery seed, this liqueur is fresher, deriving its flavor largely from cucumber, celery, and green tomato.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) Dutch-style gin (80 proof)
  
• 8 celery stalks, finely chopped
  
• 2 medium English cucumbers, ends trimmed and coarsely shredded
  
• 1 green (or very underripe) tomato, chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
  
• Big pinch of sea salt
  
• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the gin, celery, cucumbers, tomato, celery seeds, and salt in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of celery and cucumber, about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
5. 5.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Bottoms Up!
Drink in the summer with a long spritz of seltzer over plenty of ice in a tall glass, or try a CelRay Tonic (
page 255
).

Raw ingredients are usually preferable for flavoring liqueurs, as uncooked flavors are less adulterated and generally stronger, but the flavor of pumpkin pie has little to do with raw pumpkin, so it is necessary to start with a cooked product when concocting this liqueur. I could ask you to cook up some pumpkin, but canned pumpkin is already cooked. All you need to do is add pie-style sweeteners and seasonings, and the essence of autumnal feasting is in the glass.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups bourbon (80 proof)
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups vodka (80 proof)
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
  
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, coarsely shredded
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks, cracked
  
• 1 cup
  Caramelized Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the bourbon, vodka, pumpkin, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of pumpkin and spices, about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer lined with damp cheesecloth into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Sláinte!
Use this spiced liqueur as a base for eggnog, serve it gently warmed like mulled wine, or mix up a glass of Pumpkin Spice (
page 251
).

There is nothing tame about this liqueur. Coarse, rustic rye whiskey is infused with dried morels and porcini mushrooms, a handful of bruised juniper berries, and a two-finger pinch of dried thyme. The aroma is of fallen logs half submerged in moss and lichen, unfolding ferns, and mushrooms sprouting in the dark. Sipping it is like trespassing in a primeval forest — unexplored and very far from home.

Makes a little more than 1 pint

• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) rye (80 proof)
  
• 24 juniper berries, crushed
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup dried morel mushrooms, broken into small pieces
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup dried porcini mushrooms, broken into small pieces
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• Big pinch of sea salt
  
• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup
  Brown Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the rye, juniper berries, morel and porcini mushrooms, thyme, salt, and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly, about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Cheers!
Perfect for a paleolithic Old-Fashioned.

Jerusalem artichokes (a.k.a. sunchokes), the vegetable base for this sweet and spicy liqueur, are neither artichokes nor native to Jerusalem. Originally from North America, they were cultivated by Native Americans long before the arrival of Europeans. They got their artichoke moniker when the French explorer Samuel de Champlain sent them back to France in 1605, where their taste was compared to that of an artichoke bottom.

The comparison is not inaccurate. In this liqueur, the sunchokes are amended with shredded carrot for color and complementary flavor, and some ginger for a little kick.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 8 ounces sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), coarsely shredded
  
• 2 carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, and coarsely shredded
  
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, coarsely shredded
  
• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka, sunchokes, carrots, ginger, and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid has a strong vegetal gingery aroma, about 7 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Bottoms Up!
An ingenious spike for lemonade and a natural mixed with orange juice and a splash of ginger ale, it also makes a Liquid Sunshine (
page 251
).

Wee sweet spring peas make ethereally refreshing liqueurs — the closest sensation to imbibing the fertile promise of spring. But unless you are committed to planting peas as soon as the threat of frost is gone, you will be hard pressed to find a fresh sweet pea any time before July. Your alternative is to use sugar snap peas (an edible pod pea, similar to snow peas) or rely on frozen peas, which tend to be much younger and sweeter than the fresh peas that are available in most produce markets.

This emerald green liqueur exploits the classic pairing of peas and mint. Sip it on a hot summer night when the setting sun invites you to step outdoors.

Makes about 1 quart

• 2
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 1 cup dry vermouth (18% ABV)
  
• 1 pound sugar snap peas or frozen green peas, finely chopped
  
• 1 bunch (2 ounces) fresh mint, chopped (about
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cup)
  
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  
• Pinch (
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₈
  teaspoon) fine sea salt
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups
  Simple Syrup
  
• 2 drops green food coloring
  
• 1 drop yellow food coloring
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka, vermouth, peas, mint, lemon zest, salt, and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
2. 2.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes like a blend of peas and mint, 3 to 4 days.
   
3. 3.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
4. 4.
   Allow the strained liquid to sit overnight; sediment will sink to the bottom.
   
5. 5.
   Decant or rack the clear liquid from the sediment into a clean quart jar.
   
6. 6.
   Stir in the food coloring, seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.