‘tis the season to make, give & enjoy homemade spirits with this easy-to-follow recipe for festive Cranberry Liqueur
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Course: beverage, Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cranberry Liqueur, liqueur, after dinner drink
Servings: 16
Author: Chloe Tuttle
Ingredients
1cupwater
2cupsgranulated sugar
2cupsfresh cranberrieswashed & picked through, discarding bad berries
1tablespoongrated orange rind
1tablespoonfrozen orange juice concentrate
2cupsquality vodka
Instructions
Combine water and sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer sugar syrup for five minutes, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in the cranberries, grated orange rind and orange juice concentrate. Remove syrup mixture from heat and cool enough so that the mixture can be safely poured into a blender or food processor. Using the chop setting, pulse so that the berries are just slightly chopped.
Allow the mixture to cool.
Add vodka and stir.
Pour into a large glass jar, cover and store in a cool, dark place for three weeks, stirring every few days. If this is made during the winter it can be stored in a cool, dark place. If it is made in warm weather, store in the refrigerator.
After steeping for three weeks, strain the mixture several times using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth until the liquid appears clear red with no berry residue. Reserve the vodka-soaked cranberries for another use.
Pour liqueur into glass jars. Cover and store both the liqueur and the reserved pulp in the refrigerator. (This reserved pulp is great for other things such as topping ice cream and sorbet)!
Notes
This recipe takes three weeks to age. (For a stronger alcoholic mixture, swap some of the water with vodka, to taste).