Ah, summer! We are finally enjoying the warm weather in the Northwest. With all the gorgeous fresh, local fruits available it is tempting to infuse everything in sight! So you may be wondering why I’m posting an almond liqueur recipe that can be done any time of year.
I started this infusion way back in March. I wasn’t crazy about it at first, so I left the infusion in the back of my coat closet for many months.
I finally strained this about two weeks ago. All it was missing was a bit of simple syrup. Once that was added, this liqueur instantly turned into something that is amazing and delicious.
Almond Liqueur
1 c. Raw Almonds, roughly chopped
1 c. Brandy
1 c. Vodka
1/2 Vanilla Bean, split
1 1/2 – 2 TB Simple Syrup
Place the almonds, brandy, vodka, and vanilla bean in a quart jar or bottle. Close the jar, and allow to infuse for approximately four weeks. (Probably not necessary to let it sit four months like I did!) Strain, then filter through a jelly bag or cheesecloth, and finally coffee filters. Add simple syrup to taste (approximately 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons).
The coffee filters are really important with this straining process. The liquid was very cloudy until it passed through the coffee filters, and then at once became a beautifully clear, golden color.
This liqueur is delicious and may become a regular infusion, and a favorite.
Cheers!
August 8, 2012 at 9:36 pm
That sounds really great!
August 8, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Thanks, it did turn out delicious!
August 8, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Oh, this is next on my list. Thank you.
August 8, 2012 at 10:09 pm
You will not regret it! It is really tasty
August 9, 2012 at 5:00 am
Looks great! Does this taste like amaretto or less sweet?
August 9, 2012 at 7:43 am
Thanks! Mine is not very sweet because I added such a small amount of sugar. I think you could make this as sweet as you want. I added 1 1/2 TB simple syrup. I think you could start with just 1 TB if you didn’t want it very sweet (or even a little less I suppose) though I really though adding a bit of sugar brought out the almond flavor.
August 10, 2012 at 5:42 am
Thanks!
August 9, 2012 at 11:46 am
This sounds like am amazing liqueur! Why have I never thought to infuse with almonds? After all, I do have a terrifying greeny-black walnut schnapps infusing…almonds are much less terrifying! 🙂
August 11, 2012 at 8:36 am
Thanks Eileen! You will love it. It really must be fool-proof since I left it to sit in the closet for 4 months. (Although I bet your green-black walnut schnapps will be amazing too! I wish I had been able to do a green walnut infusion.)
September 27, 2012 at 4:49 am
Not because Halloween is coming does “Terrifying Green Black Walnut” sound good, but green black walnut looking schnapps itself.
August 9, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Sounds delicious.
August 11, 2012 at 8:33 am
Thanks Maralee!
August 16, 2012 at 3:00 pm
sounds yum ~ love amaretto but sometimes it is a bit too sweet so your idea about less sugar is great
August 17, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Thanks, it didn’t take too much sugar to bring out the flavor. Hope you give it a try!
August 23, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Started mine today. Gotta get some brandy to add to it though.
August 25, 2012 at 5:20 am
Added brandy today and it already smells wonderful.
August 25, 2012 at 9:25 am
Can’t wait for you to try this! Hope yours turns out as good as ours did!
September 26, 2012 at 2:18 pm
This looks really neat! My partner’s dad loves almonds. I’m thinking of making him this for Christmas. Thanks for sharing.
October 10, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it! Always good to start holiday infusions now, as things tend to get so busy when we are closer to the holidays.
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November 26, 2012 at 7:44 pm
I absolutely want to make this infusion! But I’m afraid it’s just too tight to make it before the holiday season…is it possible to double the ingredients initially and infuse it for 2-3 weeks, instead of four?
November 26, 2012 at 8:16 pm
You could try that. I would probably not use more than 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 c. Almonds, just to be sure your alcohol content stays high enough. Also keep in mind that the nuts will soak up some of the booze, so the more almonds you add, the less liqueur in the end. Good luck! I think it will taste good. Let me know how it goes!
November 27, 2012 at 8:43 am
Thanks so much! I’ll certainly be mindful of the amount of nuts that I add to this infusion. Has anyone else tried infusing it for less than 4 weeks?
February 21, 2013 at 12:31 pm
I tried the same recipe and infused for 3 days… see my comment below 🙂
February 21, 2013 at 12:28 pm
I just tried this, and it’s amazing! I actually chopped my almonds in the food processor, so some of them were basically powdered (makes the coffee filter step EXTRA really important!)… I’m not sure if the extra surface area helped or what, but I only infused it for 3 days and the flavor was perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
February 23, 2013 at 11:10 am
Hi Dani, thanks for the comments! I’m so glad to hear the infusion turned out so quickly! Great advice… And yes, I’m sure the straining was quite important! Cheers~
December 20, 2013 at 2:08 pm
hello.i am from bulgaria and don’t understand well your recipes…so my question is-what is simple syrup???thank you
January 4, 2014 at 10:17 am
Hi Megi,
Simple Syrup is sugar and water. I usually make a thick simple syrup by adding about 1 cup of sugar to 1/2 cup of water. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan on the stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sugar will dissolve, then eventually come to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, continuing to stir frequently, then remove from the heat. Allow the syrup to cool completely before adding to the alcohol. You can add just a little bit or the syrup to your alcohol infusion, then feel free to bottle the rest of the syrup and store in the refrigerator for use in other cocktails or infusions.
I hope that helps! Cheers~
November 17, 2015 at 2:49 pm
Tried the almond liquer and it was great
November 22, 2015 at 8:29 pm
That’s great, thanks!