Strawberry Liqueur

It's needless to say that strawberry is a very popular flavor. I love strawberry flavors and when I decided to make a strawberry liqueur I had no idea what to expect as I had never tried a store-bought strawberry liqueur before. I've had so many strawberry flavored sweet foods and that I guess that is what I expected, but I know well enough now that with alcohol infusion the flavors you expect don't always come through.

I chose to go organic with this recipe, and I will be trying to do this more often. I've read too much about the fungicides and pesticides on conventional ingredients to ignore organics when they are available.

Finding strawberry liqueur recipes was easy around the net and they were all very similar. Cut up a bunch of strawberries and cover them with alcohol, add spices, honey, etc. I wanted to keep it simple so I took from the simplest recipes and made my own variant.

Follow along!

 Homemade Strawberry Liqueur recipe #1

Ingredients:

• 3 pints organic strawberries
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 1/2 cup simple syrup (or just white sugar and water to make the syrup)
• 4 cups 80 proof vodka
• large, seal-able jar for infusing

1. It's important to note that my strawberries sat in the fridge until they were mushy and probably close to a state where some people wouldn't eat them. Despite the mushiness and their appearance, most fruit and berries are still perfectly fine to eat when it looks bad on the outside (sometimes even better tasting).

2. Quarter all of the strawberries, place into the infusing jar or container.

3. Pour 4 cups of 80 proof vodka over the strawberries. This should cover the strawberries

4. Seal infusing container and let steep for 3 - 4 weeks.  Shake up the container every few days, or at least once a week.

5. Make up a small batch of simple syrup (at least 1/2 cup) then combine with 1/2 cup clover honey. I personally cooked up the simple syrup on the stove and added the clover honey after I had turned off the heat and let it cool to just warm. Set aside the sweet mixture to cool. It's important to note that you will only use 3/4 cup of this mixture.

6. Strain and filter the strawberry and vodka mixture

7. Add 3/4 cup only of the sweet mixture to the strained and filtered strawberry vodka. Stir or shake well to combine.

8. Place the final mixture in an aging container to sit at least a month. Enjoy after aging!

Sipping, smelling and thinking

Strawberry liqueur - almost.. whiskey colored?

This liqueur won't disappoint the eyes. Red, almost amber-red if that is possible. Depending on the lighting you'll get a orange-red to an amber-red. It'll look great in a decorative bottle or gift wrappings.

It's worth noting that at the time of this review the Strawberry liqueur has aged nearly 1 year and 3 months. I got lazy for a long while and haven't been writing much.

Floral is what I think when it hits my nose. Flowers, bouquet, maybe some orange and spice type notes. It's fairly subtle and not too strong, has a hint of acidity to the aroma. This type of aroma I think is polarizing; some may find it sickly and others may be really attracted to it.

The interesting thing about this homemade Strawberry liqueur is that it doesn't taste like strawberries. You may have noticed that about many fruit flavored foods and drinks. Often it is some component of the flavor that is passed through in processing, but never the entire flavor or smell of the food in it's natural state.

In the case of this liqueur I think it does carry a lot of strawberry flavor. The tart and acidity of the strawberries are carried into the liqueur in a very balanced way. The clover honey sweetens it just enough and doesn't overpower the acid tart berry flavor. Alcohol bite is hidden enough that even a new drinker might enjoy this straight or on ice.

Oxygen Exposure

During the aging, I did open this liqueur a few times to taste it. I'll say that within the first few months it wasn't too appealing to me. At first it was much too acidic and the more subtle flavors didn't come through. After mellowing for nearly a year now I think its definitely near a peak. My wife and I both enjoy it right now, which is unusual because she normally gravitates towards really sweet drinks and I enjoy a range of bitter, sour and tart drinks.

Opening this one several times before testing may have changed the flavor drastically compared to having a sealed bottle. I need to start double batching and using many small permanently sealed bottles. That way I can try them at different points without exposing the whole batch.

Concluding

Finally, I think this would be good straight, or as a mixer, though I'm leaning more towards this one being an after-dinner sipping liqueur. If you mix this, it'll be hard to not hide the floral notes and you may end up with a more solely acidic or tart flavor add-in to your cocktail.

I'll definitely be making this one again! Going to enjoy finishing off this bottle over the next few months.

If you try this strawberry liqueur recipe, please let me know how it comes out for you!

Homemade Cinnamon Liqueur

Cinnamon. In ancient times it was a luxurious gift for kings and gods. Today it makes an appearance on our cinnamon rolls, apple cobbler and even french toast. 

Me, I just want to devour anything that tastes like it. Mix it with alcohol? Even BETTER. 

With no exaggeration, I LOVE cinnamon. It seems that the more I eat cinnamon my love for it just grows like a cinnamon tumour inside me. As I began making liqueurs I knew that cinnamon liqueur would be a key step in my quest for excellent homemade liqueur. 

Before I talk about the four cinnamon liqueur variants I made, let me rant a little on the things I learned about Cinnamon. 

You think that is Cinnamon on your Cinnamon roll. WRONG.

Cinnamon or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, also called Ceylon cinnamon is a small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka. It is popular for it's inner bark which is used as spice called cinnamon. However, the big surprise is that if you are in the USA and various other countries, most of what you think is cinnamon is actually Cinnamomum aromaticum or Cassia. Cassia is in the same family as C. zeylanicum, but if you're talking about "true" cinnamon then C. zeylanicum is what you mean. 

Ceylon Cinnamon(left) and Cassia(right). Photo from wikipedia

Turns out, not only is there flavor differences between Cassia and Cinnamon, but in some countries various health agencies warn against a heavy consumption of Cassia due to the toxic component coumarin. Though it seems the consensus is that it may not be toxic enough to worry about unless you are consuming teaspoons and teaspoons of cassia every day. Ceylon cinnamon has coumarin as well, but a negligible amount. 

As far as the flavor differences go, both Cassia and Ceylon Cinnamon share similar essential oils except the Ceylon has less of the cinnamic aldehyde. From what I read, this ends up giving true cinnamon a lighter, sweeter flavor and cassia a stronger, harsh bittersweet flavor. 

So yes, after all of my excitement about creating a delicious cinnamon liqueur I discover that in fact I have created a Cassia liqueur. The more I thought about this I decided it might be okay since it appears that what I've known and loved as "cinnamon" was most likely cassia anyway. I mean a bakery here and there may use true cinnamon, but from a little googling it appears that cassia is the most popular "cinnamon" here in the states. If you go to the grocery store and buy "cinnamon sticks" it is probably cassia. To get your true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon, order it online from a reputable spice dealer. I noticed this one shop at www.druera.com, that appears to be in Sri Lanka, and it prides itself on selling real Ceylon cinnamon. 

Anyway, note to self...make a ceylon cinnamon liqueur ASAP. For now, enjoy the Cassia. 

A taste of Cassia... err Cey.. Cinna.. whatev

Shut up and tell me if it taste good, right? Toxic? We are drinking alcohol here, that is toxic too. Yeah yeah, I'll get on with it. 

The Internet contains myriads upon myriads of recipes for everything under the sun, unless you are looking for Cinnamon Liqueur, then there is only one recipe you will find. 

Cinnamon Liqueur 

Yield:1 pint 

1 Cinnamon stick
2 Cloves
1 ts Ground coriander seed
1 cup Vodka
1/2 cup Brandy
1/2 cup Sugar Syrup 

Steep everything but sugar in alcohol for 2 weeks. Strain and filter and then add sugar syrup or sweetener to taste. Age for 1 week and serve. 

Hundreds of websites have this recipe with no attribution. I figured it was a good place to start even though I don't know the origin. 

I decided to make four separate batches and vary them to some extremes (why not?) I obtained my so called cinnamon from a local Indian spice store. This of course was Cassia as I found out after I made the liqueurs. 

Here is a list of the variations. For number 1 the only change I made was substituting clover honey for the sugar syrup. I did this for all of the variants. In my liqueur making experience so far, white sugar syrup just yields too simple of a taste. With honey, the taste becomes much more complex and better for sipping or drinking straight. 

Cinnamon(cassia) Liqueur #1 

Stuck with the recipe but substituted clover honey for the sugar syrup. (and in all below variants) 

Cinnamon(cassia) Liqueur #2 

Added 7 Key limes, just the meat quartered and some pith. Added 1tsp zest of a key lime. 

Cinnamon(cassia) Liqueur #3 

Added meat of one very large navel orange. Meat was cut approximately into eighths. Added zest from orange, about 1/4 of the orange peel. (went wild) 

Cinnamon(cassia) Liqueur #4 

Increased cinnamon by about %50. (1/2 cinnamon stick). Decreased sweetener (honey) by about %25. 

I tried all of these right after the 1 week of aging time and at least 1 - 2 months after that. 

In regards to visual aspect, the color is an orangish brownish on all of these. It tends to be a bit darker on #4 due to the extra cinnamon and have slightly green and more orangey with #2 and #3 respectively. The viscosity is not too syrupy and typical to most liqueur. If you saw the picture up at the top of the article, that is the ol' #4.

If you love cinnamon with all your heart, then #1 and #4 will love you back. #4 has a very strong cinnamon taste and obviously less on the sweet side. Less honey decreased the sweetness and allowed more of the cinnamon profile to come through. #1 is fairly balanced yet is a touch too sweet for my taste. 

#2 and #3 I nearly threw out before deciding to let them sit another month or two. I'm glad I did so, because after aging a bit the overly intense lime and orange tastes have become less focused and have broken down into a broader spectrum of flavor. 

The key-lime in #2 comes through and maybe overpowers the cinnamon. It's ends up being an interesting key-lime liqueur with the cinnamon accompanying. I felt it more lime-sweet than lime-tart. 

#3 ended up with maybe too much juice from the orange as the alcohol bite is just not there. However the orange and cinnamon marry nicely after a few months. The orange is more bitter than I expected, yet it is quite delicious the way it is. If I do this again I'll likely use less orange or up the alcohol to get the bite back. 

I'm not used to the flavor of coriander, so it is hard to tell where it shows up in the liqueur. Coriander supposedly has a smokey, nutty and citrus notes

Summing it up

Overall I like each one in different ways. I would say the most drinkable as is, would be the #4 if you like strong cinnamon taste or #1 if you don't want the cinnamon to take over. I'm a big enough cinnamon fan that I can sip #4 straight and really enjoy it. I think after some tweaking, the recipe for #2 and #3 could work. Perhaps less of the fruits.

If there are any cocktails you love that include cinnamon liqueur please comment. I don't know of any popular ones off hand, but I imagine some coffee based cocktails would find cinnamon liqueur attractive.

Southern Comfort Liqueur

Any traveler in the states has heard of southern hospitality, but have you heard of Southern Comfort? Chances are you probably have. It is just one of those liqueurs you always see, but maybe you have not given it a go. If you have not had the chance to try it, now is good a time. Everyone needs a little comfort and I'll take a look at it with you.

Background:

Southern Comfort has been around a good long while, since 1874 to be exact. However the formula has changed over time and even now as far as I can tell the exact formula is not known. What I do know is that it is pretty tasty and since it's inception back in 1874 has remained a popular liqueur for mixing and drinking straight.

The liqueur was created by Martin Wilkes Heron an Irish bartender in New Orleans Louisiana. It became popular very quick and by 1889 he moved to Memphis Tennessee where he patented his creation and later even won a Gold Medal for the liqueur at the 1904 World's Fair in St.louis Missouri.

Only the producers know the recipe now and it is kept secret like most, but some say the original recipe could have been as follows:

"An inch of vanilla bean, about a quarter of a lemon, half of a cinnamon stick, four cloves, a few cherries and an orange bit or two. He would let this soak for days. And right when he was ready to finish he would add his sweetener, he liked to use honey."^[

Sounds delicious, but how does it taste now? Let's get to the review, I'm getting thirsty over here.

Visual:

Nothing fancy here. This is a liquor you can definitely describe easily as caramel colored. It is a light toasty brown, and fairly syrupy as you swirl it around. In fact it does look a little like maple syrup.

Nose:

Southern comfort is comforting right from the first smell. It has a sharp mint and spice aroma. The mint is not overly strong but comes through the spice well. Even those that don't like peppermint or spearmint could still enjoy this. The spice leans toward cinnamon, but is not distinct. Some may not describe the nose as having "mint" in it, but I can't think of anything closer. Perhaps it is a muddled mint.

Taste:

As a note, this Liqueur comes in several proofs. I tried the 70 proof.

The mouth feel reminds me of whiskey with a little burn up front, then a buttery finish. Cinnamon, Honey, Vanilla, it is all here. I can't pick out any cherry but maybe it will be different for you. The sort of mint spark in the nose does not come through in the taste, and I am glad because myself, I'm not fond of too much mint.

In the tasting process I also tried the now classic "Soco and Lime" cocktail. I can see why this is popular, a little fresh or sweetened lime juice goes amazing with this. The acidic lime really brings a new character to the liqueur. It's a must try.

Final:

Delicious. I can drink it straight, I can mix it. It goes great in coke, ginger ale, many different mixers.

Many people say liquor gives you a warm feeling. I know some of that is due to the effects of alcohol itself, but I like to say that this stuff warms you with the nose and the taste. The spices and honey butter feel are great on a cold day. Now that I think about it, you could even put this in a hot drink like tea or coffee.

Homemade Lime Liqueur

Anyone who has a drink with me will soon learn that I love lime. I love lime anything really, limes, lime juice, key lime pie, lime candy and any drinks that go well with lime in them. When I was looking through some various recipes for Liqueur, I saw the word lime and knew exactly what I was making next.

I proceeded to browse through the various recipes Gunther Anderson has collected and I found a nice one. I reformatted the recipe so it is a bit easier to read and added in my own directions below.

Homemade Lime Liqueur (Andrew Gnoza) recipe

• 6, Limes (i used persian limes)
• 2, Whole Cloves
• 1/8 tsp, Ground Cinnamon
• 7 oz, Clover Honey
• 12 oz, 100 proof vodka

1. Clean and scrub limes then cut them into quarters and place into a glass container for steeping.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients, pouring the vodka in last.

3. Shake well to mix.

4. Keep in refrigerator for about 2 weeks, stirring or shaking every 3 days.

5. Strain and Filter. Age for 1 to 2 weeks. The tartness will die down a little.

*note: after straining and filtering I added in 3/4 Cup sugar syrup because it was a little too bitter for my taste.

She put the lime in the coconut..

After a week or so I got this song out of my head and then went in for a close examination.

Visual:

At first the Lime Liqueur is very cloudy, seemingly due to the cinnamon which adds a brownish  hue and the honey which adds a golden color. After aging for about two weeks the cloudiness settles and color is much better. It is definitely a dark lime green (the picture above is before aging), though with a hint of gold\brown due to the other ingredients. The color is more pleasing than the food color ultra-lime greens you would see at the store.

Presenting this liqueur on the rocks only makes it look better.

Nose:

You get a primary honey with a secondary citrus tart that is distinctly lime. There is a bit of spice aroma but it is not a standout.

Home made Lime Liqueur

Taste:

Honestly this is the first homemade Liqueur coming out of my kitchen that I could deem worthy of sipping on after dinner. The mouth feel is just right, not too viscous, not too runny. Honey is surprisingly dominant in this Liqueur, Tart and acid hits you before the bitter rolls in. Normally bitter would give me a sad face but it is somehow welcome in this party of flavors. The cinnamon and clove add a nice spice at the end to round things out.

Final:

I really like this one, but I can still be picky. The lime flavor itself could stand to be more intense, maybe a tad less bitter and more spice. Overall I like it how it is! (it probably would have been great even without the 3/4 cup sugar syrup I added in) The recipe came out pretty good if just a bit bitter. In doing more research on fruit extracts I discovered the bitterness might be due to leaving on the peels and not removing the pith. Next time I will include the only the zest, meat and juice, leaving out the pith.