Christmas Spirit?

[StripyPixieSocks]

Still busy... still making... stuff lol

Here's my new passion... liqueurs!

I've wanted to make these for years and never have, this year I decided I would at least have a go... now I'm addicted lol

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skyblue1971/4085725123/

From left to right: Limoncello, Vanilla Liqueur, Vanilla Extract, Kahlua, Lime Liqueur and Orange Liqueur.

*PHEW*

[red]

liqueurs are so easy and quick to make - we currently have pear, strawberry, damson vodka, sloe vodka, blackberry brandy and limoncello in the house

[StripyPixieSocks]

I have a list that I want to make that's as long as your arm!

They're brilliant fun and like you say, so simple and they make great gifts also if you decant them into really nice bottles after filtering!

I smelled the Orange Liqueur today and it smells exactly like Cointreau (as we have some in the house to compare) the only difference is that it cost about a quarter of the price to make, and lets face it, Orange peels are leftovers anyway most of the time!

We've got a Mango wine on to brew as well as we got a huge bag of ripe Mangos for £1 the other day...

Of course now we have thought sod it and begun to brew, you just watch the agent ring up and tell us we can have the cottage in Cornwall after 2 months of waiting... then we'll have to pack it up up carefully and move it in our car lol

[mrsmiggins]

Ooh do you have links to any instructions for your favourites? They look yummy!

[Cloud]

OH bought some fruity vodka once. It tasted awful so we've tended to avoid flavoured liqueurs, although we do have some sloe gin in the cupboard this year - our first ever. The fruit flavour vodka has been going in to the Christmas cake for the last few years - that seems to make it taste much better.

SPS, your line up look fantastic, I'm almost persuaded to forgo my long abstinence

[StripyPixieSocks]

Ooh do you have links to any instructions for your favourites? They look yummy!

Check out my blog, I've posted instructions-ish here: http://gaiacottage.blogspot.com/2009/11 ... pirit.html

Hee hee @ Cloud, I'm not a big drinker myself but I do tend to prefer drinks that are hidden behind other tastes such as flavoured Vodkas / Schnapps / Liqueurs as I don't really like the taste of alcohol and if you make an Orange one you could put it in hot chocolate should it not be to your taste :D

[dave45]

I have made cherry brandy several years running - from the handful of morello cherries I get from my tree - just slice in half ("stones in" gives a better flavour I think)... soak cherries in clear vodka/spirit for about 2 months, then filter through a coffee filter, add 100g sugar and shake until dissolved.

You can make a passable "whisky" by adding oak chips (they come with some homebrew wine kits for oaking red wines).

btw a "friend of a friend" recommends these http://www.steamdistiller.co.nz/ for pure ice with the whisky of course ;-) They are available in the UK.

[StripyPixieSocks]

I have made cherry brandy several years running - from the handful of morello cherries I get from my tree - just slice in half ("stones in" gives a better flavour I think)... soak cherries in clear vodka/spirit for about 2 months, then filter through a coffee filter, add 100g sugar and shake until dissolved.

You can make a passable "whisky" by adding oak chips (they come with some homebrew wine kits for oaking red wines).

btw a "friend of a friend" recommends these http://www.steamdistiller.co.nz/ for pure ice with the whisky of course ;-) They are available in the UK.

Yeah I'd like to make cherry brandy and I saw a recipe for the Oak 'whiskey' but that takes a year and a half to make and I haven't got the patience for that lol

As for distilling 'water' wouldn't touch that with a bargepole, sorry. Not only are they very illegal my dad is an ex copper and several of my friends are still serving... we could also get thrown out of our home for breaking the law so not a chance!

[missy]

got the stuff coming with my shopping tomorrow, to attempt the orange one :)

thanks for the idea