Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (17 page)

Walnuts are rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated linolenic acid, making them nutritionally significant but vulnerable to rancidity. Make sure that walnuts are fresh before you buy them, either by checking a best-by date or by smelling them. If they smell bitter or acrid, do not use them for liqueur. Keep walnuts fresh by storing them in the freezer. Linolenic acid is also responsible for most of the characteristic flavor of walnuts, a combination of brown sugar, whole-wheat toast, and astringency.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 pound walnut pieces, broken
  
• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) brandy (80 proof)
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup honey
  
• ³
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup
  Brown Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the walnuts and stir until the nuts are aromatic and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Dump onto a baking sheet and let cool until just warm to the touch, about 10 minutes.
   
2. 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. 3.
   Combine the brandy, honey, and walnuts in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
4. 4.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of nuts, 7 to 10 days.
   
5. 5.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. You should have about 2
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   cups.
   
6. 6.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
7. 7.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Bottoms Up!
Enhance a cup of coffee with a shot or invest your next Manhattan with its riches.

The flavor combination of sweetly roasted (light to medium) coffee and deeply toasted (to the color of lightly roasted coffee) walnuts is seamless. Bitterness, sweetness, whole wheat toast, well-done roast beef, molasses, and nuttiness embrace and reproduce, compounding one another into a new flavor altogether. Let’s call it Walffee.

Makes about 1 quart

• 12 ounces walnut pieces, broken
  
• 4 ounces medium-roast coffee beans
  
• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) brandy (80 proof)
  
• 1 vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cup molasses
  
• 1 cup
  Brown Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the walnuts and stir until the nuts are aromatic and well toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the coffee beans. Dump onto a baking sheet and let cool until the nuts are just warm to the touch, about 5 minutes.
   
2. 2.
   Chop the nuts and coffee beans finely; it’s easiest to use a food processor. Put the nuts and coffee beans into the work bowl of the processor, and chop using 3-second pulses until uniformly finely chopped, like coarse sand.
   
3. 3.
   Combine the brandy, vanilla, molasses, and walnut mixture in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
4. 4.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of nuts and coffee, 7 to 10 days.
   
5. 5.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
6. 6.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
7. 7.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Salut!
Spike your next espresso with a splash.

Curiously, the flavor of domestic almonds is delicate and vaguely nutty, nothing like the blow-your-lid vibrancy of almond extract. Strong almond flavor like that is only found in wild or bitter almonds, which when chewed contain enough bitter hydrogen cyanide to kill a large dog. A byproduct of cyanide production is benzaldehyde, a fragrant molecule that is the essence of wild almond flavor and is the flavoring in almond extract; it is also found in the pits of cherries and apricots.

Bitter almonds are unavailable in the United States, but you can find apricot kernels (see
Resources
). Adding a few to this liqueur releases the flavor of almond without the risk of toxicity.

Makes about 1 quart

• 12 ounces blanched almonds
  
• 4 ounces apricot kernels
  
• 2
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 1 cup dry sherry (17% ABV)
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups
  Simple Syrup
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
  

1. 1.
   Chop the almonds and apricot kernels finely; it’s easiest to use a food processor. Put the nuts and kernels into the work bowl of the processor, and chop using 3-second pulses until uniformly finely chopped, like coarse sand.
   
2. 2.
   Combine the vodka, sherry, and chopped almond mixture in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
3. 3.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of bitter almond, 7 to 10 days.
   
4. 4.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
5. 5.
   Stir in the simple syrup and extract, if desired.
   
6. 6.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Prost!
Makes a fragrant Brandy Alexander.

Amaro
means “bitter” in Italian; it refers to the use of bitter almonds in the production of amaretto. Although it is possible to use apricot kernels in place of California almonds to capture that wild bitter almond flavor, almond extract is more consistent and yields the same results. It is ironic that bitterness is highlighted in amaretto, because few commercial liqueurs are as cloyingly sweet. This version tames that saccharine quality, but if you like your amaretto syrupy you can add up to another
¹
⁄
₂
cup simple syrup.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 pound blanched almonds
  
• 1 cup vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 2 cups brandy (80 proof)
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups
  Simple Syrup
  
• 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
  

1. 1.
   Chop the nuts finely; it’s easiest way to use a food processor. Put the nuts into the work bowl of the processor, and pulse in 3-second bursts until uniformly finely chopped, like coarse sand.
   
2. 2.
   Combine the vodka, brandy, and almonds in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten the nuts.
   
3. 3.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes of almond, 7 to 10 days.
   
4. 4.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
5. 5.
   Stir in the simple syrup and extract.
   
6. 6.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Skål!
Amaretto is a common cocktail ingredient in several popular cocktails, including the Orange-Almond Sour (
page 252
), the Godfather (equal parts Scotch and Amaretto), and Hawaiian Punch (
page 244
).

Is “plain vanilla” any way to characterize the second most expensive food crop in the world (saffron is the priciest)? What could be more exotic than vanilla? Each
Vanilla planifolia
orchid produces one exquisite bean and then dies. The flowers can be naturally pollinated only by a
Melipona
bee, native to Mexico.

When the French planted vanilla vines in their African colonies, the flowers would grow but would not bear fruit. Importing bees failed. The only option was to pollinate each blossom by hand, a practice that is now common for all vanilla production.

The only thing plain about vanilla is its ubiquity, which is more a testament to its versatility than to its plainness.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 pound blanched almonds
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups grappa (80 proof)
  
• 2 vanilla beans (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups
  Simple Syrup
  
• ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
  

1. 1.
   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 the nuts are uniformly finely chopped, like coarse sand.
   
2. 2.
   Combine the vodka, grappa, almonds, and vanilla in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
3. 3.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes of vanilla and almond, 7 to 10 days.
   
4. 4.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
5. 5.
   Stir in the simple syrup and extract, if desired.
   
6. 6.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Sláinte!
Sip with warm milk at night for an intoxicating sleep potion.

Black walnuts look similar to English walnuts but have a strong, distinctive aroma that needs a worthy opponent to tame it. In this liqueur, you will find two. The first is Laphroaig, a rustic single-malt Scotch from Islay, the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. Islay Scotches are known for their overt smokiness, and Laphroaig is one of the smokiest. It stands up beautifully to the sharp notes of black walnut. The next is allspice, a pungent berry that is native to the Caribbean. The principal aromatic in jerk seasoning, it tastes a bit like clove, though not as strong. Together, they create a memorable liqueur.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 cup vodka (80–100 proof)
  
• 2 cups Scotch (80 proof), preferably Laphroaig
  
• 1 pound black walnut pieces, coarsely chopped
  
• 8 allspice berries
  
• 1 cup
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Combine the vodka, Scotch, black walnuts, and allspice berries 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 black walnut, 7 to 10 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!
Use to make an unusual Manhattan.

Nutella, the PB&J of Europe, is a testament to the nearly universal appeal of toasted hazelnuts and chocolate. It was popularized during World War II, when chocolate was in short supply in Italy. An older version, gianduia, was developed in the Alpine region of Italy when taxes on cocoa beans prompted chocolate manufacturers to cut their products with nut pastes. Today, Bottega produces a chocolate-hazelnut liqueur bearing the same name.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 pound blanched hazelnuts
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  cups (7
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₂
  ounces) cacao nibs
  
• 1 fifth (750 ml/3
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups) grappa (80 proof)
  
• 1
  ¹
  ⁄
  ₄
  cups
  Simple Syrup
  

1. 1.
   Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the hazelnuts and stir until the nuts are aromatic and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Dump onto a baking sheet and let cool until just warm to the touch, about 10 minutes. Rub the skins off the hazelnuts with a clean dishtowel. Stir in the cacao nibs.
   
2. 2.
   Chop the nuts and cacao nibs finely; it’s easiest to use a food processor. Put the nuts and nibs into the work bowl of the processor, and chop using 3-second pulses until uniformly finely chopped, like coarse sand.
   
3. 3.
   Combine the grappa and hazelnut mixture in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
   
4. 4.
   Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of chocolate and hazelnuts, 7 to 10 days.
   
5. 5.
   Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
   
6. 6.
   Stir in the simple syrup.
   
7. 7.
   Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
   

Prost!
Delicious in a Black or White Russian. Or make a Mocha Nut (
page 240
) or Chocolate-Caramel-Hazelnut Espresso (
page 240
).