Boozed + Infused

Infusing liqueurs at home with inspiring and seasonal ingredients

Tag Archives: Liqueur


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Mandarin Spice

Having recently filtered the Mandarin Gin, we were ready to try it in some cocktails!

Mandarin Spice

2 oz Mandarin Gin

1/2 TB Vermouth

1/2 TB Winter Spice Liqueur

Lemon peel garnish

Mix or shake liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into chilled glasses, add lemon peel, and sip away.

If you don’t have Mandarin Gin, you could substitute another orangecello or orange liqueur that isn’t overly sweet. And the Winter Spice could probably be subbed with Angostura Bitters with a pleasant result.

Cheers!


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Mandarin Gin

Can you believe it took us this long to post a citrus infusion?

A few years ago, some friends of ours shared a homemade limoncello with us. It was the best limoncello I had ever tasted. Naturally, I asked for the recipe. I had just started getting into making home-infused booze, and this was too good to pass up. The limoncello recipe was very different from any other I’ve seen. While the others all require zesting the lemons and infusing for long times, this one just required juicing the lemons, and a much shorter infusion time. The result (perhaps because of the short infusion time) does not give the overly bitter taste of which everyone warns.

So we decided to test out a similar recipe with mandarin oranges and gin.

Mandarin Gin

11 Mandarin Oranges

2 cups of gin

1/4 c. sugar

Slice the mandarins in half, and juice them. Reserve the juice for another use (try it in a Mandarin Hibiscus).

Place the mandarin peels and sugar in the gin, and let infuse. This is where our original idea started breaking down. The limoncello recipe required only about a one-week infusion time. These mandarins needed more time. We felt the product was ready in about 4-5 weeks. Happily, the flavor is quite good, with no bitterness (perhaps because the mandarin peels have very little pith). But the quick infusion was not meant to be.

When the flavor has reached your desired taste, strain and filter. Serve chilled (straight from freezer) or in cocktails.

Cheers!


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Mango Cooler

Here is our “healthy” cocktail suggestion for the Mango Liqueur.

Mango Cooler

2 oz Mango Liqueur

1 TB Honey Liqueur

3-4 oz club soda

Light and refreshing, this will be a great spring/summer beverage… if only it was spring in the Northwest!


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Mango Liqueur

Sorry the posts have been a little less frequent for the past week or two. I have been traveling like crazy. As my husband and I checked into a hotel on Saturday, I remarked that it was the 6th bed I had slept in for the week. Yes, the sixth. Four different hotels, one night in my own bed, and a short stay at my sister’s house. Needless to say, there has been lots of work, lots of fun, and just a lot going on!

I have just returned home after a weekend on San Juan Island in Washington State. We had some amazing weather and even got to see a group of Orca Whales. Very exciting.

Ok, now back to the booze…

Mango Liqueur

2 Mangos – peeled, pits removed, and sliced

2 c. Vodka

2 TB Thick Simple Syrup (or to taste)

Infuse the mango in vodka for approximately 3-4 weeks. Strain and filter, then add the simple syrup. Age for another 2-3 weeks for the flavors to mellow.

When we first filtered this, the mango flavor was a bit bitter. But as with many fruit liqueurs, the flavors mellow with some time and rest. This is finally ready to drink. I’m happy to report that I’m enjoying a delicious cocktail with this liqueur as I write this.

Cheers!

Mango Liqueur on Punk Domestics


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Dried Currant Brandy

Have you ever had a Kir or Kir Royale? You loved it, didn’t you. A Kir is a drink made with creme de cassis and white wine, a Kir Royale is creme de cassis with champagne. You probably knew that.

Creme de cassis, a liqueur made from black currants, is heavenly.

Since this is not the season for fresh black currents, I happened to find some dried black currents at the market recently, and decided to try infusing them in brandy. As this was made with dried currants, I hesitate to call it a cassis liqueur. It was however, a tasty substitute and extremely easy to make.

Dried Currant Brandy

5.5 oz dried black currants

2 1/2 c. brandy

Combine dried currants and brandy in a jar and infuse for approximately 3 weeks or until it reaches your desired taste. Strain, filter, and enjoy.

I really enjoy this version of the cassis liqueur. It is a little potent, but very flavorful. We have not yet tried it in champagne.

I do, however, have a favorite cassis liqueur that I need to mention. It is made by Clear Creek distillery. If  you are reading this post and live in the Northwest, I hope that you have been to this distillery. If you are planning any trips to Portland, please add this to your list of places to visit. It is truly exceptional.

Clear Creek stands out among the growing number of craft distilleries in Portland. Whether you are looking for Eau de Vie, Grappa, Pear Brandy or fruit liqueur, you will not be disappointed.

You can also find a recipe for Creme de Cassis at Food Perestroika. I have not tried this recipe but it looks excellent.

Enjoy!

Dried Currant Brandy on Punk Domestics


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Irish Cream

Well it’s about time we posted our St. Patty’s Irish Cream! The day has escaped us.

I’m visiting my sister in Minnesota. Who knew it would be 80 degrees in Minneapolis in the middle of March? It has been way too nice out to be inside making Irish Cream. Now that we’re making dinner, we are also ready for a treat… Iced-Coffee and Irish Cream.

When I started looking through Irish Cream recipes, every one I found had no waiting period. Just throw a bunch of ingredients in a blender, blend the heck out of it, and enjoy! I looked through a bunch of recipes online as well as in liqueur books. They were all nearly identical. The recipe we used has been adapted from A J Rathbun’s Luscious Liqueurs.

Irish Cream

1 2/3 c. Irish Wiskey

1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

1 c. half-and-half

2 1/2 T. Chocolate syrup

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee (we used Starbucks Via)

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until all ingredients are well incorporated. Refrigerate and consume within 2 weeks.

First we compared this to Bailey’s Irish Cream. We thought they were similar flavors. The Bailey’s was a little thicker and richer (most other Irish Cream recipes call for light or heavy cream), but the flavors were very similar.

Since it is so nice out, we are consuming with iced coffee, but this can be enjoyed in a variety of beverages or straight.

Next year we may concoct our own infused Irish Whiskey for St. Patty’s. In the meantime, this Irish Cream is quite tasty. Whether you decide to make this version or any of the other varieties you can find online, you will be quite happy with the end result.

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day!


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German Chocolate Cocktail

Who’s ready for a drink?

That’s what I thought…

We have started accumulating so many delicious liqueurs and infusions in our liquor cabinet (ok, it is really the coat closet) that it seemed a shame to just let them sit there… time for a fun, new concoction…

German Chocolate Cocktail

1 oz Chocolate Bourbon

1 oz Coconut Liqueur

1/2 oz Walnut Liqueur

1/2 oz White Creme de Cacao

Coconut flakes for garnish

If you’ve read this far, you know what to do…

German chocolate cake usually has pecans instead of walnuts, but I figured this was close enough. I think this would be delicious with any other nut liqueur as well (try it with Frangelico or Amaretto).

We thought it was a nice dessert beverage (and not too sweet). Give it a try and see what you think. Or try some variations and improvisations and share your taste tests with us…

Cheers!


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Chocolate Bourbon

I knew this would be a big hit in my household. My husband is both a chocolate lover and bourbon lover, so the combination seemed perfect.

How do you infuse alcohol with chocolate? You need to get your hands on some cocoa nibs. Cocoa nibs are easier to find than you might think. In Portland, we are fortunate to have some amazing chocolate shops. I picked up these organic, Madagascar cocoa nibs at Cacao. Their website says that they accept orders by phone or email, but they do not currently have online shopping. Also in Portland (and NYC), cocoa nibs can be found at The Meadow. The Meadow carries Valhrona cocoa nibs, and does have online shopping. Try some of the finer chocolate shops in your town to see if they carry them. (If all else fails, they can be found on Amazon.)

Chocolate Bourbon

2 c. bourbon

1/2 c. cocoa nibs

One-inch piece of vanilla bean, split

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or vessel. Infuse for approximately 3 weeks, or until it reaches your desired taste. Strain & filter. Enjoy, sip, and savor…

The final product is very a rich chocolate color. After three weeks of infusing, this tasted strongly of chocolate, but did not overpower the bourbon.

This is delicious!

If you are not a bourbon fan, try substituting brandy for the bourbon. In the coming months, I’m sure we will feature several more cocoa nib infusions and cocktails.

If you love chocolate, give this a try!


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Tropics in the Winter Part 2 – Coconut Liqueur

I thought I better get this posted before we reach the end of winter! For those of you who are in warmer climates, it may be a bit late to infuse this and enjoy it before we hit spring. But for those of you in colder regions, you may still have some time… sorry. When I lived in Maine, I would always take a tropical vacation this time of year to escape the cold weather, as we still had plenty of time for snow before we hit spring (mud season).

Coconut Liqueur

3 c. Vodka (or Rum would work very nicely)

2 c. chopped/shredded coconut

6 Tablespoons Thick Simple Syrup (or to taste)

Crack and drain one coconut, then cut away the brown shell. Place the white coconut flesh in a food processor and pulse until shredded/chopped to a fairly fine grain. If you do not have a food processor you could try grating it.

Place 2 cups of the shredded coconut in the vodka and let infuse for approximately 3 weeks. At that time, add 4 TB thick simple syrup and let infuse for another 2 weeks. After a total of 5 weeks, strain the coconut and add more sweetener to your taste. I added another 2 TB of simple syrup, for a total of 6 TB. At first I thought that this was heavy on the alcohol taste, but after sitting for just a day I think this tastes perfect.

You may be able to infuse in a shorter time if you use more coconut.

Etched "Boozed + Infused" bottleThe end result for this coconut liqueur is milky white and delicious. It isn’t overly sweet, and tastes strongly of coconut. This will be great by itself, or added to cocktails. (I think it will be perfect for some upcoming cocoa and nut infusions we are working on.)

Unfortunately the color of the liqueur masks the etching on this bottle. This was a gift from my sister, etched with “Boozed + Infused”.

Simple Syrup

In many of my recipes, I list “thick simple syrup”. When I use this term, I typically have used 2/3 c. of sugar and 1/2 c. of water. I bring this to a boil on the stove and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before adding to your recipe. If you have extra left over, you can save this in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a few weeks.


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Hibiscus Sidecar

I couldn’t wait any longer to share one of the delicious hibiscus cocktails with you…

Who loves Sidecars? I do! I do! Thanks to a friend for introducing these to me some years ago, I have delighted in them for quite a while. So the addition of hibiscus brandy in this cocktail was only logical. As I mentioned in the last post, citrus goes great with hibiscus…

Hibiscus Sidecar (serves two)

3 oz. Hibiscus Brandy

1 1/2 oz. Triple Sec

1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

garnish of your choice

Combine all liquid in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously… strain into chilled glasses. Garnish of your choice (preferably citrus – we used a mandarin orange slice).

Delicious. Please give this a try…

Cheers!