Making Summer Liqueurs at Home

[IamMadMan]

Over the winter I posted a tutorial on how to make Limoncello and Arancello. I received a lot of feedback and thanks for the lesson.

I've been teaching these types of classes held at my VFW as a fundraiser for the organization. I take nothing, just share my knowledge with others.


Well summer is here and there are a wide variety of extremely ripe fruits that will make pleasurable summer cordials and liqueurs.

Cantaloupe, Peaches, and Red Plum were on my to-do list today.

Simply fill a One Quart Mason Jar half-way with fresh ripe fruit and add 500 Milliliters of Everclear or other grain alcohol.

Keep the fruit in the alcohol for 10 to 14 days, strain, then filter the alcohol until clear. Do not exceed 14 days as the cantaloupe and plums have high levels of tannin. Store the filtered 500 ML of tinctured alcohol in Pint Mason Jars in the refrigerator until you are ready to make your cordials / liqueurs. They will keep indefinitely in this stage under refrigeration due to the high-proof alcohol content.

Pictured Above -------- Cranbury - Lime - Pineapple - Pear - Tangerine


Once you are ready to make your liqueur / cordial, remove from the refrigerator, calculate your additions, return to the refrigerator and let stand one week to mellow the flavors.

A shot of liqueur added to lemonade or iced tea makes an awesome refreshment.


For the strained fruit; Alcohol infused peaches make a great peach cobbler. Also the cantaloupe, plums, and peaches; mix with ice in the blender, add some of the homemade cordial and you have a frozen daiquiri from your fruit. Frozen cantaloupe daiquiris are awesome!

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[Gore]

Yum, that reminds me, we have have a few jars that have been ripening for several months now. Also, might add that you can make your own vanilla extract in a similar fashion.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Your posts are so informative Wish you posted more often

 

[mchar69]

Whoa this is a lesson! I just made legit lemonade by soaking the yellow part of the rind in sugar to make an oleo saccharin overnight, then boiling water, strain, and killer lemonade.
This fruit idea is killer - the plums I'm getting are the best I've ever had.
And Gore, I have alot of vanilla from my brother in Indonesia, I'd love to make extract from that.

IAMM - what's the alcohol proof of the finished product - isn't everclear like 180 proof?

 

[mchar69]

remove from the refrigerator, calculate your additions,

What does this mean?

 

[IamMadMan]

Whoa this is a lesson! I just made legit lemonade by soaking the yellow part of the rind in sugar to make an oleo saccharin overnight, then boiling water, strain, and killer lemonade.

Few people realize there is more flavor in the zest of the lemon than in the juice. However when blended together it provides a very flavorful balanced lemonade.

This fruit idea is killer - the plums I'm getting are the best I've ever had.
And Gore, I have alot of vanilla from my brother in Indonesia, I'd love to make extract from that.

IAMM - what's the alcohol proof of the finished product - isn't everclear like 180 proof?

What does this mean?

When you are using EverClear, you are starting with 95% Alcohol By Volume or 190 proof. This is not meant to drink, just to extract the flavors, essence from the fruit. In the case of Gore's suggestion; real vanilla pods, great hand-crafted vanilla at a fraction of the price.

If you follow the lesson plan you calculate the additions of simple syrup and distilled water to create a cordial at approximately 30% ABV or 60 proof. You can customize the strength, sweetness to your liking, with the simple calculations.


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[IamMadMan]

Your posts are so informative Wish you posted more often

George,


Be careful what you wish for (LOL).



Have been busy for a couple months awarding college scholarship awards through the local community. Cooking for Scholarship Luncheons, planning award ceremonies, giving the scholarships, all take up precious free time; but it's for the greater good.


Also had to plan an annual memorial service (I've been doing this for 20 years) for an aviation pioneer that crashed nearby in 1928. This was my last year in charge and I was awarded a letter embedded in glass by the Ambassador from Mexico in Washington, DC recognizing my 20 years of dedication.



Getting ready to take my Granddaughter back to Texas next week. Will visit a few places on my list and spend a week with there with my daughter. After that you'll see more of me posting here.

 

[TropicDad]

Very nice, think I'll make some again. I usually make a pineapple one, tastes great with coconut milk over ice.

 

[IamMadMan]

The biggest hurdle most people encounter when making liqueur is; simply finding an accurate recipe. There are many books, many resources on the Internet, and many shared recipes: However many of these lack accurate measures and calculations. There is just no substitution for accuracy when making a quality handcrafted liqueur.

When we make our own liqueurs, we can customize the sugar and alcohol percentages to your own personal liking. I personally target for about 30% (60 proof) as my starting point. Once you have tempered the infusion down to 30%, you can continue to temper down to a lower proof of your liking if necessary. Remember, you can always add more, but you cannot remove what you have already added.

Many struggle to balance the Alcohol By Volume content. ABV is your most important calculation to make a consistent liqueur time and time again. Sadly, many don’t know how to calculate ABV, and simply guess. Consequently many have no idea what their starting and ending alcohol by volume contents are.

This is where the use of Everclear simplifies things for everybody. Everclear is 95% ABV (190 Proof), so we always know our starting point is 95% ABV. When we infuse the fruit in alcohol, the fruit will absorb a very small percentage of the Everclear, but not enough worth worrying about.

The formula is very simple; you just have to practice to fully understand the relation of the starting ABV to the Ending ABV. The formula for our calculations will be P1 X V1 = P2 X V2. Put into simpler terms for understanding; Starting alcohol Percentage (P1) times the starting Volume (V1) equals final alcohol Percentage (P2) times the ending Volume (V2); P1 X V1 = P2 X V2.

As long as we know three of the four variables we can always calculate the final ending result. As I stated earlier, I recommend the use of “Everclear” for many reasons; one of them being easier calculations of the final product desired. I also like to make smaller batches starting with 500 Milliliters of “Everclear” for greater accuracy. 500 Milliliters will result in just less than 1.5 Liters (two 750 ML Bottles) of a final product when properly calculated.
As I stated above, as long as you know three of the four variables we can always calculate the final ending result.

We are starting with 500 ML of Everclear, so we know the first two variables of the equation.
P1 (starting alcohol percentage) of “Everclear” is 95% (.95)
V1 (starting Volume) is 500 Milliliters
The first half of the equation is; (P1) X (V1) - .95 X 500 = 475
So we are starting with 475 Milliliters of 100% pure grain alcohol

To achieve the final result of the formula we only need to know the desired ABV of our final product. We are targeting for 30% ABV (60 Proof).
So part two of the equation begins here .30 (P2) X V2 = 475 Milliliters
So 475 divided by .30 = 1583 Milliliters

So what does this all mean? We start with 500 Milliliters of 95% alcohol that we want to temper down to 30% ABV. The final resulting volume after being tempered down (diluted) to 30 % would be a total of volume of 1583 Milliliters.
So we take our existing 500 Milliliters and subtract it from the total volume of 1583 Milliliters.
1583 – 500 = 1083 Milliliters of liquid (distilled water and some sweetener) will need to be added to our 500 Milliliters of 95% alcohol.

For sweet product like Limoncello, I suggest using the above formula for dilution using about 1/3 simple syrup.
500 ML Infused Alcohol, 500 ML of Simple Syrup, and 583 ML of Distilled Water; thus 1593 total ML.

For a less sweeter product you could go with 20% Simple Syrup.
500 ML Infused Alcohol, 300 ML Simple Syrup, and 783 ML of Distilled Water.

For no sweetness (a dry product) just use 1083 ML of Distilled Water. Essentially, with the addition of only water, you are making a flavored vodka.

 

[lzbcook]

Thank You!
I followed a recipe in the local newspaper some years ago, and produced some strawberry liquer that was SO good. It was Essence of Strawberry.
I did not hang on to that scrap of paper and have not been able to replicate it. Will try Everclear and aim for 30% ABV.

 

[DerHusker]

Yum!

Have a batch of Limoncello underway as we speak!

 

[Pife]

Thanks for this info.

Do you have any suggestions for adding fruit flavor/color to 80 proof clear liquor to sip straight?

thanks,

pife

 

[IamMadMan]

Thanks for this info.

Do you have any suggestions for adding fruit flavor/color to 80 proof clear liquor to sip straight?

thanks,

pife

Looking at the chemical composition of grain alcohol C2H5OH or C2H6O technically alcohol is a solvent. It releases essential oils and essence from the fruit bonding them to the alcohol molecules. It's not until the water is add that it becomes an emulsion.



When using a lower proof alcohol like 80% Vodka, it takes much more time to separate and bond the flavor / essence compounds from the fruit. Yes this can be done in the same manner, but the flavors won't be as intense and prominent, but it will work. Just do not exceed 10 day tincture time with fruits that have high tannin levels, because the final product can become bitter.


You will need a half gallon (64 oz) jar, add 2 cups of chopped fruit, then add 750 ML of your 80 proof liquor. Let sit for 8 to 10 days in the refrigerator, then filter, and return to bottles.


With 80 proof, you can make mixed drinks, but it might be a strong shot for some, unless you like it that potent. To make the 80 proof a little weaker for sipping; you would add an additional 250 ML of distilled water / simple syrup to achieve 30% ABV or 60 Proof. If you want a sweet sipping liqueur, add 200 ML of simple syrup and 50 ML of distilled water. If you want a dry (not sweet) just add 250 ML of distilled water.


For those who are wondering why distilled water; it contains no minerals, chemicals, or purifying agents to muddle or darken the taste of the fruit.

 

[Smoking Piney]

Nice, Madman.

When you open up your speakeasy, I'll be right over!

 

[IamMadMan]

Thanks for this info.

Do you have any suggestions for adding fruit flavor/color to 80 proof clear liquor to sip straight?

thanks,

pife

One thing I did forget to mention / clarify ....


As previously mentioned:
Yes once the fruit has been tinctured in Everclear and filtered, I store in Pint jars in the refrigerator. These will keep for up to 2 years because it is 95% Alcohol. After 2 years the color can change and the flavors may begin to diminish.


However, once you dilute to a drinkable solution (40% / 80 Proof or less) you have a limited shelf life, and I recommend storing your liqueur in the refrigerator. For the most part, it doesn't last long enough to go bad if you make in small batches.

 

[SmokinAussie]

"Technically Alcohol is a Solvent"

It's my favorite solvent and there is nothing technical about it. :becky: