20121016

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FLAVORED LIQUEURS


Liqueur Facts,
Production Methods and
HOMEMADE LIQUEUR RECIPES

You may wonder what is a liqueur? What makes it different from just any old liquor*? Merriam-Webster defines liqueur as: "a sweetened alcoholic liquor (such as brandy, whiskey, vodka, etc) flavored with fruit, spices, nuts, herbs, or seeds".  You can also add cream or milk products to produce a cream liqueur such as Irish Cream.  There is a subset of liqueurs called cordials and these would be the liqueurs made with fruits and/or fruit juices.

There are four different methods of producing a Liqueur:
  • Distillation - where the flavoring elements and the spirit are blended together and then distilled**.
  • Maceration - where the flavoring ingredients are mixed with the alcohol and allowed to infuse together.
  • Infusion - where the flavoring elements are "infused" with hot water to release their natural flavors then mixed with the alcohol.
  • Percolation - where the alcohol is pushed through the flavoring agents to absorb their flavors.
Some examples of liqueurs you can purchase would be:
  • Grand Marnier - a combination of cognac and orange.
  • Cointreau - a combination of brandy and oranges.
  •  Drambuie - a combination of Scotch whisky with heather honey and herbs.
  • Triple Sec - an orange flavored liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter and sweet orange.
  • Irish Cream - a combination of whiskey, cream and flavorings (usually chocolate and coffee).
  • Chambord - a blend of black raspberries, cognac, berry and fruit extracts and proprietary spices.
  • Southern Comfort - a blend of bourbon, orange and peaches.
  • Kahlua - a sugar cane (rum) and coffee liqueur.
How To Make Your Own Liqueurs:
You can make a ton of your own liqueurs. Some are extremely easy and take only a little patience, time and work. To make your own liqueurs you simply combine a base liquor with a flavoring ingredient to which you may add a sweetening ingredient.

Some of My
Homemade Liqueur
Recipes

BERRY LIQUEURS
BLACKBERRY LIQUEUR
BLUEBERRY LIQUEUR
BLUEBERRY MINT BOURBON LIQUEUR
CANDIED PECAN LIQUEUR
CANDY CORN LIQUEUR
CARAMEL INFUSED LIQUEURS
CHOCOLATE CAKE LIQUEUR
CHOCOLATE VODKA & LIQUEURS
CHRISTMAS CANDY LIQUEUR
CRANBERRY LIQUEUR
GINGERBREAD LIQUEUR
GOOD & PLENTY LIQUEUR
GUMMY CANDY LIQUEUR
INDIAN CANDY CORN VODKA
IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR
KAHLUA STYLE LIQUEUR RECIPE
LEMONCELLO
ORANGECELLO
PUMPKIN LIQUEUR
QUICK PUMPKIN LIQUEUR
RASPBERRY LIQUEUR
VANILLA BEAN LIQUEUR
 
There are tons of recipes online for homemade liqueurs, including the famous liqueurs you pay a nice chunk of change for. Don't be afraid to experiment with making your own customized liqueurs. Try a combination of your favorite fruits, spices, herbs, nuts, even add some cream if you want.  Just remember that if you add creams or milk products you will want to keep your liqueur refrigerated and drink it up fast as these liqueurs (homemade AND store bought) do have a shelf life and require refrigeration.
Homemade Liqueurs made excellent gifts too!

Make up a large batch, pour into some pretty bottles and add a custom label!!  I have a ton of fun Cocktail Themed Labels you can customize and personalize for all your Liqueur Gifts

I've not only made homemade liqueurs, I've created many infused spirits, what I call my little "moonshinin' hobby":
MOONSHINE MADNESS

*Definition of Liquor: a usually distilled rather than fermented alcoholic beverage
**Distillation: the process of separating, concentrating, or purifying liquid by boiling it and then condensing the resulting vapor.


October 16th is
NATIONAL LIQUEUR DAY.

Updated October 2017
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...