Making your own liqueurs

Making your own liqueurs is as simple as putting fruit into a sealed ar, covering it with sugar and alcolhol - some people leave the fruit to steep for weeks, some for months - some people make a sugar solution at the end of the steeping process and sweeten to taste - But no matter how you get there, a 10 year old apple liqueur will be far smoother and more roundly rewarding than any rough three month old liqueur you made from the last Bramleys to make something in time for Christmas.

Liqueur method

Making your own liqueurs is as simple as collecting all your ingredients together, placing them in a glass jar, covering them with sugar, pouring in the alcohol and sealing the jar ... and waiting. Bottling is simply a case of straining the liquid off the fruit, filtering through a coffee filter and bottling it ... then waiting for 3 months or more before tasting.

Top tips

  • A lot of these recipes are written to provide consistent results, but I tend to use caster sugar because it dissolves faster than refined granulated sugar, but with regular shaking, all solid sugar dissolves quickly.
  • All the recipes contain 150g sugar dissolved in 180 ml of water for each 750ml of alcohol, because you can always add sugar syrup at bottling time, but you can't take any out!
  • There's nothing wrong with sweetening with brown sugar or corn syrup or using brandy or rum in any recipe - both will create a substantially different colour and flavour and you might prefer that.
  • I always use cheap clean store bought vodka in almost all of my recipes these days because vodka has no taste or colouring added, but some of the early recipes contain rum and brandy versions.
  • Leave fruit to steep for months - If you start to worry that any spices you added will overpower the fruit flavours, remove them after a month.
  • Make more than one bottle of everything you make, after straining and bottling, drink one and leave the other to mature for years if possible.
  • Using sugar water increases the yield but dilutes the strength of the alcohol - if you think you'll be having friends around for tasting sessions 750cl's of vodka doesn't last long and you'll end up with a litre by using sugar water.

A few liqueur recipes

Apple & Pear Liqueur

  • 150g Sugar
  • 3 Apples
  • 3 Pears
  • 750ml Vodka

Cut Apples into wedges, remove cores and leave the peel on. Cut Pears into wedges and remove cores and leave the peel on. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for several months. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.


Apple Liqueur

  • 2.5 Lbs of Apples cut into wedges, cored & seeds removed.
  • 1/2 Litre Tesco Vodka
  • 1/2 Litre Tesco Brandy
  • Large piece of bark Cinnamon
  • 10 Cloves
  • 150g sugar in 180 ml of water

Cut apples into wedges and remove cores and leave the peel on. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for 2 weeks. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.


Blackberry Liqueur

  • 1 Lb of Blackberries
  • 8 Oz of sugar
  • 236 ml of Tesco Vodka
  • 236 ml of Tesco Brandy
  • 236 ml of light corn syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon of lemon rind
  • 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

Crush the blackberries to release some of the juice into the sugar and let stand for one hour. Add the rest of the ingredients and steep in cool, dark place for 2 weeks.

Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove the cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 1 month from bottling.


Blueberry Liqueur Recipe

Once I started growing blueberries, I could start making blueberry liqueurs. They are never consistent because no season is the same as the last and depending on the variety could be tart or sweet ... and if there's a severe drought, you may get very few at all - So frozen blueberries can be substituted.

  • 500g frozen blueberries (thawed and lightly crushed)
  • 150g Sugar dissolved in 150ml of water
  • 1/2 lemon zest, no pith
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 750ml vodka

Put ingredients into a large Kilner type jar, seal and put in a dark cupboard for at least a month, or up to 6 months until the liquid is a dark red or purple colour.


Cassia (Blackcurrant) Liqueur

Out of the dozens of liqueurs I've made over the years there are only two that never fail to impress: Spiced Apple with Bramleys and Cassia (Blackcurrant) Liqueur and both are simple and the fruit is readily available if you grow them yourself!

  • 150g Sugar
  • 500g Blackcurrants
  • Whole Vanilla Pod
  • 750ml Vodka

Squash the blackcurrants lightly to release some of the juice into the sugar and let stand for one hour. Add the rest of the ingredients and steep in cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks,preferably 2months or more.

Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove the cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 1 month from bottling.


Elderberry Licqueur Recipe

This recipe doesn't always produce a beautiful liqueur, as elderberries are best consumed by birds!

  • 1/2 Litre fresh elderberries (no stems as these are slightly toxic)
  • 1 litre Vodka
  • 1/2 Lemon Zest (no pith as this is bitter)
  • 150g Sugar dissolved in 150ml of water

Put ingredients into a large Kilner type jar, seal and put in a dark cupboard for at least a month, or up to 6 months until the liquid is a very dark colour.


Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur Recipe

  • 2 Lb of finely chopped Hazelnuts
  • 750ml Aldi Vodka
  • 150g Sugar dissolved in 180ml water
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract

It'll take around 3.5 Lbs of hazelnuts to produce 2Lbs of shelled hazelnuts... and this is going to take several hours and probably give you blisters, so sit down and get comfortable and use pliers and hammers if you need to!

Add all igngredients to a large jar and shake daily for two weeks.

Strain off vodka and squished nut flavor out leaving the bag to drip overnight.

Preserved the nuts by grinding them up and freezing them to make some hazelnut shortbread sometime later.

Then I filtered the liquid three times through nylon straining bag to remove the larger particles and then passed it through coffee filters to achieve perfect clarity.


Pear Liqueur Recipe

  • 5 Pears
  • Dried Orange Peel (peeled and dried on radiator)
  • 6 Cloves
  • 1/4 Nutmeg
  • Small piece of Cinnamon
  • 150g sugar in 180 ml of water
  • 750ml Vodka

Cut Pears into wedges and remove cores and leave the peel on. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for 2 weeks. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.


I've made several versions of this plum liqueur over the last decade or so with many different varieties of plums - I had the good fortune to try some home made plum liqueurs in Japan which are made with specific varieties and some unripe fruit - None I've made in the UK are bad, but as always experimenting with the ingredients is key to a perfect drink.

Plum Liqueur Recipe

  • 1kg Plums
  • 1 piece of Cinnamon Bark
  • 3 Star Anise
  • 150g sugar in 180 ml of water
  • 750ml Vodka

Cut Plums into qusrters and remove stones. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for a month or more. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.


Sloe Gin (Dartmoor Recipe)

Apparently living on Dartmoor has a grat advantge in that you can make your own genuine Dartmoor Sloe Gin - it is best to pick the berries around mid-October after the first heavy frost to be drinking the stuff by Christmas. We had Moor's water from our private well and we had access to Plymouth gin so we could make the eponymous Dartmoor brew with ease!

  • 3/4 Lb of Sloes (Pricked all over with a needle)
  • 6 Oz of Caster Sugar
  • 70 Cl of Gin

or

  • 450g (1lb) of Sloes (Pricked all over with a needle)
  • 225g (8oz) of Caster Sugar
  • 1 litre (1¾ pints) Plymouth Gin

It's necessary to prick each sloe with a needle to break the skins. Place all ingredients into a Kiler jar and seal the lid. Give the jar a good shake every other day to dissolve the sugar. Store in a dark cupboard and shake once a week each month for as long as you can - 2-3 months is a good time for steeping. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove the cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, even though it can be drunk by Christmas it just gets better every Christmas after that!


Spiced Apple Liqueur Recipe

  • 7 Apples
  • 5 Cloves
  • Large piece of Cinnamon Bark
  • Vanilla Pod
  • 150g sugar in 180 ml of water
  • 1500ml Vodka

Cut Apples into wedges, remove cores and leave the peel on. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for several months. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.


Sweet Apple Liqueur Recipe

  • 1 pound Red Delicious or other sweet apples
  • 2 cloves
  • Small stick of cinnamon
  • 750ml vodka or brandy
  • 150g Sugar dissolved in 180ml water

Cut apples into wedges and remove cores and leave the peel on. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for 2 weeks. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.


Tart Apple Liqueur Recipe

  • 1 pound slightly tart eating apples (about 3 avg. size)
  • 16 oz sugar
  • 2 cloves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 a Lemon zest
  • 750ml vodka or brandy

Cut apples into wedges and remove cores and leave the peel on. Place all ingredients in a jar and steep for 2 weeks. Strain contents through cheese cloth to remove solids and then through a coffee filter to remove any cloudiness & sediments. Bottle and store for as many years as you can, but it's ready to drink after 2-3 months after bottling.