I read a tasting of vodkas that the New York Times did a few years ago - they found that Smirnoff is the best for a pure clean vodka with no other tastes. That’s what we use.
I think the problem with my limoncello was the cheap vodka I used. It tasted rather harsh. I would think you should start with a vodka you could happily drink straight…though so many of the recipes call for Everclear! At least, my kids thought I should have used better vodka to start.
This is a fabulous thread.
I have 3 gallons of vodka to use up, and 3 more gallons on the way next week. I am going to be a liqueur making FOOL.
I already had vanilla infused vodka (and I already have a couple of bottles of vanilla extract going for holiday gifts) and limoncello in mind, as well as a raspberry or a pear.
I’m definitely going to be making at least half of these.
One cup vodka, one cup fresh-squeezed lime jiuce, one-half cup sugar. Wait a month or two. Strain it through cheesecloth if you want a very clean, clear drink, but it’s not essential. A half a shot poured into a deer, especially a Hefeweizen, is delicious. Just add enough to make it lime-y, not enough to make it sweet.
Actually, the recipe calls for a hammer and chisel. I only have the hammer. I need the kernel inside the pits, apparently, so I have to be careful about breaking them. My partner thinks he can just crack them with pliers or something.
Sometimes they’ll crack open with a pliers, but I just use a hammer, no chisel, on an old wooden cutting board that I don’t care about denting. The kernels will split open. The kernels have a bit of space surrounding them and won’t be damaged.
This isn’t a “liqueur” recipe per se as it has no sugar involved, but it’s something I made up on a whim once…
1 750ml bottle 100 proof vodka
1 lb. sliced fresh green jalapenos
Combine, let stand three weeks, drain and bottle.
Nearly impossible to drink straight, but pour a shot or two in some V8 and you’ve got the perfect Bloody Mary.
We make Sloe gin every winter. Sloes are a wild berry that’s very sour and dry by itself but make a lovely fruity/herby liqeuer. They grow wild in large parts of the UK, I was in the Cotswolds last weekend and they were everywhere. Not sure how practical this is for North Americans though 
This recipe is the one I will be using tomorrow to make this years batch. There is a load of other useful info on the page too. Rather than pricking the sloes I freeze and defrost them, or pick them after the first frost to release the flavour. It’s very easy to make:
- 1lb/454gm of washed sloes
- 4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar
- 75cl bottle of medium quality gin
- Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle (actually any bottle will do, we re-use the gin bottles for instance)
- 2-3 drops of almond essence (or a handful of whole almonds).
Store for 3+ months in a cool, dark place. Every so often and add more sugar to taste. Make in October/September for christmas.
Drink carefully! It’ll end up as full strength booze but tastes like a lovely liqueur. Last christmas I gave a small bottle to my friend and he drank it in one sitting not realising how strong it was.
It’s an infusion. Sounds nice, even if I don’t like Bloody Marys, I’m sure it would be interesting on it’s own. I’ve had jalapeno beer.
Huh. Well, I’ll try that, then. I’ve never done this before, but I’m antsy to start. Thanks!
I do something similar, I quarter 4-5 jalapenos lengthwise(seed some or all, depending on heat level you want) and smash 2-3 large cloves of garlic. Then take a couple shots from a 750ml bottle of vodka, stuff the jalapenos and garlic into the bottle with the remaining vodka, cap and shake. Then shake a couple times a week for 3-4 weeks, strain into another bottle, and keep in the freezer.
Make some salsa fresca and use the juice thats left behind to make bloody marys. Liquid, alcohol infused salsa. No better way to wake up, if you like pain.
The vodka is also great for marinades and deglazing pans for sauces. Depending on what I am making, I have been known to use a small amount instead of stock.
Oops, I meant to say the pits will split open, not the kernels.
Well, I just started silenus’s cranberry recipe. I had no idea how much of a pain it was going to be to crush all those cranberries! They’re hard suckers; but surprisingly neat.
Peach amaretto is out for me this year. It turns out I misread/misremembered the recipe. It calls for 2lbs peach pits, and then it says that’s from approximately 20 peaches. So I mixed that up as 20 peach pits, which isn’t nearly 2lbs (unless you’re eating whatever mutant peaches Imbibe magazine was eating, I guess). Then all my attempts to crack what pits I did have ended with crushed kernels. Next year!
Tomorrow I start on the pear liqueur recipe.
I’m thinking I’m going to use my pear liqueur as a base for a dark chocolate pear truffles. I’m going to try mixing the liqueur into the ganache, and then see how it tastes. It’s very spicy liqueur, and I think it’ll be tasty. Maybe this weekend…I could test them on Dopers at the CleveDopeFest…
Yes it does transfer, the liqueuer will be perfectly clear and have a strong chocolate flavor, this is based an a very old recipe called “Hangman’s orange” where you suspend an orange over the alcohol and the flavor and some of the color of the orange infuse the alcohol.
Most cream or milk based chocolate liqueurs have to be refrigerated and only last a very short period of time even then. this is shelf stable no refrigeration needed and tastes very chocolatey.
Well, I have almost two quarts of that cranberry liqueur starting to age as of yesterday. They syrup was a real pain to deal with, as the sugar kept falling out of suspension while it was cooling. However, it’s all done now, and we’ll see what 3 months brings. Currently, it tastes quite nice, but a hint medicinal.
Sadly, I cannot get 190 proof booze in my city, so I had to settle for 151 proof (max allowable by law, apparently).
It is very necessary to properly age it. Just wait. You’ll see. It smoothes out nicely. 
Coconut liqeuer-easy to make, and better than anything you can buy!
Take one ripe coconut, crack the shell and drain the water. Shred the coconut meat in a blender, and put in a jar with half a quart of decent vodka. Let set (in the fridge) for 3-4 weeks, then darin and strain-add 1/2 quart of simple syrup, and you are done!
Anybody have a recipe for “fior diAlpini” liqeuer?
silenus, I can’t wait. It’ll be done right in time for a friend’s birthday bash for her husband, so I plan to take some there.
Is there a “too long” to keep/age it? Like, this batch won’t be done for Christmas this year, will it be off by next Christmas?