Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (15 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
Copycat Strega
Strega, a digestif strongly flavored with mint and fennel, has been made in Benevento, Italy, since 1860. Similar to Galliano but less yellow, it is syrupy-sweet and has a lingering coniferous finish. Its pale yellow-green color comes from saffron.
Strega
is Italian for “witch,” connecting the liqueur to the legends of witchcraft that have been flying around Benevento for centuries.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 cup vodka (80–100 proof)
- 3 cups dry vermouth (18% ABV)
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1
⁄
2
cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves - 1
⁄
4
cup chopped fresh basil - 1
⁄
4
cup fennel seeds, crushed - 1
⁄
4
cup chopped fresh tarragon - Grated zest of 2 lemons
- Pinch of saffron threads
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka, vermouth, 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.
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
- 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
- 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.
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
- 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
- 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.
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
- 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
- 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 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.
Santé!
Try a Twisted Horse’s Neck (
page 256
).
Copycat Chartreuse
There are scores of
Angelica
species, but only one is commonly used as a flavoring and medicine — the garden angelica (
A. archangelica
). It is a common flavoring agent of gin and the principal herb in Chartreuse, made by French monks in the Grand Chartreuse monastery. The original formula for Chartreuse supposedly contains 132 herbs, flowers, and spices. Alas, my pale imitation has but 8; only 124 to go. The characteristic green color of Chartreuse comes from the chlorophyll in the bounty of herbs that go into the secret blend.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) vodka (80–100 proof) - 1
⁄
2
cup chopped dried angelica root (see
Resources
) - 1
⁄
2
cup blanched almonds, finely chopped - 6 allspice berries, cracked
- 2 cinnamon sticks, cracked
- 1
⁄
2
of a whole nutmeg, grated - 6 star anise, cracked
- 1
⁄
4
cup coriander seeds, cracked - 3 tablespoons dried marjoram
- 16-ounce bag baby spinach leaves, finely chopped in a food processor
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup - 3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
- 2 drops green food coloring (optional)
- 1.
Combine the vodka, angelica root, almonds, allspice berries, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, coriander seeds, marjoram, and spinach 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 spices, 2 to 3 weeks. - 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, and add the food coloring, if using. - 5.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Cheers!
Drizzle over grilled fish or chicken or use in an herbal marinade.
Copycat Ouzo
Ouzo, or something like it, has been produced in Greece since the fourteenth century, but it wasn’t until the early twentieth century that the ban on absinthe (see
page 106
) gave this anise-flavored folk liqueur, billed as “absinthe without the wormwood,” a chance at international notoriety. Before the 1930s, when most ouzo became 100 percent distilled, the anise flavor could be either tinctured or distilled. Tinctured ouzo has a more rounded, fuller-bodied flavor than distilled products.
Makes a skimpy fifth
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) vodka (80–100 proof) - 1
⁄
2
cup licorice root, crushed - 1
⁄
4
cup anise seeds, crushed - 12 star anise, cracked
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka, licorice, anise seeds, and star anise 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 licorice, 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!
Mix with a splash of water for drinking, which turns it from clear to cloudy.
Most aromatic plants yield either spices (the hard parts — bark, seeds, roots) or herbs (the soft parts — leaves and flowers), but coriander gives us both. The seed is sold as coriander; the leaf is cilantro. This liqueur employs both: the seed for pungency and the leaf for freshness and aroma. Plus there’s a good amount of lime oil (from lime zest) for body. Drink it up or splash some over grilled salmon or a pan-seared chicken breast.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) tequila (80 proof) - 1
⁄
2
cup coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground - 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- Finely grated zest of 3 limes
- Big pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the tequila, coriander seeds, cilantro, lime zest, and salt 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 coriander, 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!
Use it to mix up a streamlined Tequila and Tonic; lime already included.
Copycat Kümmel
Kümmel
means both “caraway” and “cumin seed” in three languages — German, Dutch, and Yiddish — as well as the liqueur made from them. In the Jewish neighborhood where I was raised, kümmel or kimmel were the seeds that flavored rye bread. But now I’ve switched over and I’m a liqueur man all the way.
The seeds that go into this liqueur are highly aromatic, and when cracked they release their flavors quickly. A few hours are all it takes to make a potently fragrant liqueur. In fact, you will need to take care not to tincture for too long or an overpowering mentholated component will develop from the chemical structure of caraway.
Makes a little more than 1 pint
- 1 fifth (750 ml/3
1
⁄
4
cups) vodka (80–100 proof) - 1
⁄
2
cup caraway seeds, coarsely cracked - 1
⁄
2
cup cumin seeds, coarsely cracked - 1
⁄
2
cup fennel seeds, coarsely cracked - 1
⁄
4
cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka, caraway seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds 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 caraway, cumin and fennel, 4 to 8 hours. - 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.
Bottoms Up!
Kümmel is used as a secondary liquor in many cocktails, including the Allied Forces (
page 247
), a decidedly un-dry gin Martini.