Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs (23 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
When I was eight years old, I was a connoisseur of mass-market chocolate. I mastered an appreciation for all four fillings of a Sky Bar, but I was certain I would never be mature enough to savor the adults-only bitterness of chocolate-covered orange peel. Boy, was I wrong.
Bitter orange (a.k.a. Seville orange) is grown for its peel, which is thick and saturated with orange oil. The same oil is in the zest of conventional oranges, but it is not as rich and it lacks that defining bitterness. To get the right flavor for this liqueur, include a little bit of the white pith beneath the skin when you grate the zest. The bitter alkaloids in the zest will be absorbed into the alcohol, yielding a perfect blend for bittersweet orange elixir. Maturity has its perks.
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1
⁄
3
cup fresh orange juice - 1 cup (4 ounces) cacao nibs
- 2 cups vodka (80–100 proof)
- 1 cup brandy (80 proof)
- Finely grated zest (plus some of the white pith beneath the zest) of 4 oranges
- 1 cup
Simple Syrup
- 1.
Mix the cocoa powder and orange juice into a smooth paste using small whisk in a small bowl. - 2.
Combine the cocoa mixture, cacao nibs, vodka, brandy, and orange zest in a half-gallon jar. - 3.
Seal the jar and shake vigorously. Put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells of orange and tastes of chocolate, 3 to 5 days, shaking well every day. The longer tincturing time increases the bitterness from the orange peel, which some people prefer. - 4.
Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid. - 5.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 6.
Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Sláinte!
Spike a glass of iced coffee.
- Apple Sour Cream
- Banana Split
- Caramel Crème (Copycat Dulce de Leche)
- Chocolate Milk (Copycat Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream)
- Eggnog
- Irish Cream (Copycat Baileys Irish Cream)
- Lemon Mousse
- Orange Dreamsicle
- Praline Peach
- Strawberry Yogurt
- Vanilla Cream
- White Russian
Cream always rises to the top, and there’s no exception in the world of liqueurs. Creamy liqueurs are considered the richest, most elegant, and most desirable of potables. Few single ingredients change the nature of liqueurs so dramatically as cream. A shift in the type of sugar can alter color and flavor slightly; a different alcohol base has similar effect; but adding cream makes the whole system switch gears. The beverage moves from fluid toward solid, and its essence, once merely fruity or herbal or sweet, all at once becomes both more substantial and more decadent.
The process of making cream liqueurs has a few twists on the standard process. For one thing, creamy liqueurs use a dairy-based simple syrup that is slightly more complicated to assemble and has to be kept refrigerated.
I use three different creamy sweeteners for different styles of creamy liqueurs:
Creamy Simple Syrup
as an all-purpose sweetener,
Brown Cow Simple Syrup
for whiskey and brandy cream liqueurs, and
Tangy-Creamy Simple Syrup
for fresh-fruit cream liqueurs. They all use sweetened condensed milk as a main ingredient.
Milk is an emulsion in which protein and fat are suspended in water. It’s inherently unstable, and when making liqueur, a stable and viscous dairy product is vital for long-term storage. Sweetened condensed milk is made by mixing whole milk with sugar (roughly two parts milk to one part sugar) and cooking off about 60 percent of the water to create a thick, very sweet liquid. It was developed in the mid-nineteenth century as a means of preserving milk, which before then was only available raw and was highly perishable. Condensing milk naturally pasteurizes it, and the sterile canning process means it can be stored for months without refrigeration.
Even with the advantages of condensed milk, adding protein to a liqueur makes it more perishable. Unlike most liqueurs, cream liqueurs need to be refrigerated immediately after the dairy is added, and even then they have a shelf life of about a month, as opposed to almost a year.
As they sit, homemade cream liqueurs are apt to separate. Commercial cream liqueurs are mechanically emulsified and hence less prone to separating, but home cooks do not have the right equipment, so some separation is inevitable. The liqueurs are easily blended with a brisk shake before serving.
Copycat Baileys Irish Cream
The most famous cream liqueur is a newborn in the world of cordials. A mixture of Irish whiskey and cream, it was launched in 1974 by Gilbey’s (of gin fame). The Bailey name, with the accompanying R.A. Bailey signature on the foil cap, is fictional. Baileys Irish Cream quickly became internationally popular and spawned dozens of whiskey-and-cream imitators. It is most famously imbibed in a version of Irish Coffee.
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 cups Irish whiskey (80 proof)
- 1
1
⁄
2
cups
Brown Cow Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the whiskey and simple syrup in a half-gallon jar. - 2.
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.
Cheers!
Delicious sipped straight up, and heavenly in a B-52 (
page 239
) or Creamy Irish Coffee (
page 240
).
Named for the classic cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream, White Russian liqueur is a grab-and-go cocktail in a bottle. Lighter-roast coffee has more aroma and natural acidity than dark-roast beans, which tend to be bitter, so I prefer it for most coffee liqueurs. The brown sugar syrup reinforces the roasted notes in the coffee. Use it to simultaneously spike and soothe a cup of black coffee.
Makes about 1 quart
- 3 cups vodka (80–100 proof)
- 1
1
⁄
2
cups (7
1
⁄
2
ounces) medium-roast coffee beans, coarsely cracked - 1
⁄
2
cup
Brown Cow Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka and coffee beans in a half-gallon jar. - 2.
Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid tastes and smells strongly of coffee, 3 to 5 days. - 3.
Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. - 4.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 5.
Seal the jar and store in the refrigerator until the flavors taste blended, about 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.
L’chaim!
The obvious choice for making a Streamlined White Russian (
page 240
).
Eggnog, the wassailing mixture of frothed egg, sugar, cream, and booze, is an essential part of Anglo holiday feasting. The name was derived either from Middle English
noggin
, a small wooden mug for serving alcohol, or condensed from the words
egg
and
grog
(a Colonial term for a drink containing rum). Either way, the drink is decidedly British, crossing the Atlantic early on in the birth of the Colonies. An island version, Coquito, uses coconut milk for the cream, and rum instead of brandy.
Makes about 1 quart
- 1
⁄
2
cup
Creamy Simple Syrup - 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 cups brandy (80 proof)
- 1.
Heat the simple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling, stirring frequently. - 2.
Mix the egg yolks, vanilla, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add the warm simple syrup into the egg yolk mixture a spoonful at a time. Once half of the syrup has been incorporated in this way, add the rest in a slow stream. - 3.
Combine the brandy and egg yolk mixture in a half-gallon jar. - 4.
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.
Santé!
A Brandy Coquito (
page 240
) or Oaxaca Eggnog (
page 240
) will warm your heart.
This not-so-plain vanilla of cream liqueurs has all the delicate floral and fruity nuance of vanilla bean, and since there is little else to modify its purity, it encompasses the versatility of vanilla as well. It is an all-purpose creamy concoction for making adults-only milk shakes and floats, experimenting with creamy Martinis, or spiking a cup of hot coffee, chai tea, or cocoa.
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
- 3 vanilla beans (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
- 1
⁄
2
of a whole nutmeg - 1
1
⁄
2
cups
Creamy Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka, vanilla, and nutmeg in a half-gallon jar. - 2.
Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 3 days. - 3.
Remove the vanilla beans and nutmeg. - 4.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 5.
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.
Knock back a glass of this fresher-than-fresh, boozy strawberry smoothie and transport your taste buds back in time. The alcohol locks onto and preserves the ripe berry flavor, allowing you to mix up a batch at the height of strawberry season and savor its essence weeks later. With the flavor of a bowl of strawberry ice cream and the potency of a shot of ice-cold vodka, this pale pink liqueur vibrates deliciously between innocence and corruption.
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, trimmed and finely chopped, or 12 oz frozen strawberries
- 1 vanilla bean (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
- 1
1
⁄
2
cups
Tangy-Creamy Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka, strawberries, and vanilla in a half-gallon jar. - 2.
Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 5 days. - 3.
Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. - 4.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 5.
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.
Salut!
Serve chilled in a rocks glass over ice with shortbread cookies for dipping.
Lounging by the community swimming hole, listening for the ice cream truck, then seeing my sister’s sweaty brown face smudged with sticky swipes of orange sherbet — all those steamy suburban evenings swirl into one satisfying slurp of summer whenever I chug down a tumbler of this fragrant, fruity, creamy liqueur. Unapologetically inspired by orange Creamsicles (I know there are other Popsicle flavors, but do they really count?), this simple, dairy-rich, sweet citrus concoction is a time traveler, simultaneously satisfying the most discerning contemporary tastes and the most nostalgic longings for childhood.
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 cups vodka (80 proof)
- Finely grated zest of 3 oranges
- 1
1
⁄
2
cups
Creamy Simple Syrup
- 1.
Combine the vodka and orange zest in a half-gallon jar. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark cabinet until fragrant, about 5 days. - 2.
Strain the mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. - 3.
Stir in the simple syrup. - 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!
Serve icy cold on a summer night.