Better Bartending 

Alchemist Cookbook

APRICOT VODKA

1 dozen apricot seeds

1 liter vodka

Place the seeds in a jar and pour in the vodka. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Taste. Strain it or let it sit another 24 hours and taste again.

 

BLUEBERRY VODKA

1 liter vodka

2 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried

1 cup raspberry liqueur

Juice of 1 lime

1 twist of lime zest

Put a small nick in each of the blueberries and put in a glass jar. Pour the vodka over the blueberries then add the raspberry liqueur. Let sit in a dark place for 2 weeks.

 

CAMOMILE LIQUEUR

¼ cup dried camomile flowers

1 liter vodka

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Steep the flowers in alcohol for 2 weeks. Filter and add sugar syrup. Age for 3 months.

 

CHERRY LIQUEUR

1 liter vodka

1 ½ pound cherries, destemed

2 ½ cups sugar

2 ½ cups water

Crush cherries into the bottom of a jar add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.  Make simple syrup using the remaining sugar and water.  Pour simple syrup while it is still warm into the jar.  Stir mixture.  Let cool add vodka.  Let sit for one month, shaking the ingredients twice a week.  Filter liqueur into new jar and let sit for a few days before bottling.  Filter again before bottling.  Let bottle sit for three months before opening.   

 

CITRUS LIQUEUR

4 zests of lemon

4 zests of orange

1 orange, sliced

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup water

1 liter of vodka

In a jar, add vodka, sliced orange, orange and lemon zest; let sit for a few day.  Make simple syrup using the water and sugar.  Add simple syrup once it is cooled to the rest of the ingredients.  Let sit for two weeks, shaking the ingredients once a week.  Filter into a new jar and then filter again before bottling.  Let sit for at least two months.  

 

COFFEE LIQUEUR

1 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1/2 cup instant coffee crystals

3 cups vodka

5 tsp. vanilla extract

10 whole coffee beans

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugars and water and mix well to blend. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the mixture forms a syrup, about 5 - 7 minutes.  Add coffee crystals and stir well with a wire whisk until crystals are dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Remove pan from the heat and cool completely. Then add vodka, vanilla extract, and coffee beans. Pour the liqueur into a half gallon glass bottle. Cover tightly and let mature for at least two weeks. You can pour this mixture into pint jars if you wish to give as gifts. Be sure to put storing instructions on any gift bottles. Store in a cool dark place.

 

GINGER LIQUEUR

1 liter Single Malt Scotch

1 cup ginger root, chopped

1 cup simple syrup

2 sprigs rosemary

In large jar add ginger, scotch, and rosemary.  Let sit for three days.  Shake and add simple syrup.  Let sit in for no less then 4 weeks, shaking once a week.  Filter twice and then once more with a cheese clothe.  Bottle and let age for at least three weeks.  The longer the aging process is given the more delicate the spirit becomes.

IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

3 eggs

2 tsp coconut extract
4 TBS chocolate syrup

2 TBS vanilla
1 liter Irish whiskey

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Combine all ingredients in blender for 3 minutes. Refrigerate until thick, approximately 3-4 weeks. This recipe is amazingly similar to commercial brands.

 

LIMONCELLO

15 lemons
2 bottles 100 proof vodka (750 ml each)
6 cups sugar
4 cups water

Scrub lemons, using warm water and a brush, to remove any wax or pesticide residue. Remove zest from lemons using a vegetable peeler. Avoid including the white pith, as this adds bitterness. Add the zest to half of the vodka. Wait 40 days and then add second half of the vodka and sugar syrup. Sugar syrup is made by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to boil and cook about 5 minutes. Wait another 40 days then strain out zest and bottle. Can be stored at room temperature, but keep a bottle in the freezer for serving.

A note of caution: I have judged a lemon cordial that included the peel along with the juice in the recipe and it had a very bitter taste. We concluded that the pith left on the lemon peel was the cause of the bitterness.

 

LICORISH LIQUEUR - SAMBUCA

1 litre of vodka

1/8 tsp anise essential oil (15 drops or use equivalent pure aniseed extract from Supermarket)

2 cups of granulated sugar (can be in form of invert syrup)

1 tsp glycerine (for smoothness)

Add anise oil to alcohol and shake vigorously to dissolve. Add sugar and glycerine.

 

MINT LIQUEUR

35 mint leaves

1 liter vodka

1 lemon peel

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Macerate mint leaves in alcohol for 4 weeks. Strain. Make a sugar syrup, boiling together the lemon peel. Cool and add to alcohol.
 

ORANGE LIQUEUR

1/3 cup orange zest*

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups cognac or French brandy

1/2 teaspoon glycerine

Place zest and sugar in a small bowl. Mash together with the back of a wooden spoon or pestle. Continue until sugar is absorbed into zest. Place in aging container. Add cognac. Stir, cap and age in a cool, dark place 2 to 3 months. Shake monthly. After initial aging, strain and filter. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cap and age 3 months more before serving. Makes about 1 pint.

 

ORANGE AND PEAR LIQUEUR

½ pound oranges, Peeled

½ pound pears, cut in 1/4

2 cups sugar

1 liter vodka

In a jar, add pears, orange peels and sugar.  Let sit in a dark place for a few days until sugar is dissolving onto the fruit.  Cut oranges into wheels and add vodka and oranges to the jar.  Let sit in a dark place for a month.  Shake weekly.  After a month filter twice in a bottle.     

 

PEAR LIQUEUR

3 large pears, cored and cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 liter vodka

2 whole cloves

2 whole allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup sugar

Place all ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and shake to blend. Store for two weeks in a cool, dark place, shaking it every other day. After two weeks, strain the liquid through a strainer or cheesecloth into a glass bowl. Transfer to a bottle. Cap tightly and store in a cool, dark place for another 2 weeks.