Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits: Innovative Flavor Combinations, Plus Homemade Versions of Kahlúa, Cointreau, and Other Popular Liqueurs by Andrew Schloss Read Free Book Online

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    Cherry Vanilla
    Like puppies dressed in pants and kittens wearing bonnets, the combination of cherry and vanilla has “Awww” power — it’s just so cute and sweet and kind of cuddly. This is a scrumptious liqueur, so overtly fruity and fragrant that you could down a quart without noticing that you have done anything untoward. Pour it over ice, drizzle it over ice cream, or use it in an ice cream soda served with two straws and just say, “Awww!”
    Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
2 pints sour cherries, stemmed and crushed (no need to remove pits), or 2 1 ⁄ 2 cups dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped
2 vanilla beans (Madagascar or Bourbon), split
1 cup Simple Syrup
Instructions
1. Muddle the vodka, cherries, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a half-gallon jar. Stir to moisten everything.
2. Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of cherries — 3 to 5 days for dried fruit, about 7 days for fresh fruit.
3. Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
4. Stir in the simple syrup.
5. Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
    Cheers! Serve 2 ounces in a tall glass with a scoop of ice cream and seltzer.

    In Praise of Fraise
    You’re walking through a field of grass dotted with wild strawberries. The ground is damp and uneven, a shifting carpet. You try not to tread on the treasured fruit, but every now and then you miscalculate, creating an invisible cloud of strawberry-scented air, and you thank the gods who grace us with gifts for our clumsiness. This liqueur is single-minded: It thinks of nothing but ripe strawberries, and in its simplistic innocence it sings sweetly.

    Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced, or 1 1 ⁄ 2 pounds frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1 ⁄ 2 cups Simple Syrup
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
Instructions
1. Muddle the strawberries and simple syrup with a wooden spoon in a half-gallon jar. Stir in the vodka.
2. Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of strawberries, about 7 days.
3. Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
4. Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
    Santé! Perfect for sipping on a summer day, for spiking a Cosmo, for dabbing behind each ear.

    Strawberry Tart
    Ripeness is misunderstood. We tend to think of it as either the presence of sweetness or the absence of tartness, when in reality perfect ripeness contains the perfect balance between the two. Underripe is too tart and overripe is too sweet, even slightly rotten-tasting, but ripeness is just right. Because liqueurs are sweetened, it is easy to err on the rotted side. Adding a bit of fruit vinegar to that sweet elixir restores the balance.
    Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced, or 1 1 ⁄ 2 pounds frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1 ⁄ 2 cups Simple Syrup
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1 ⁄ 4 cups) vodka (80–100 proof)
1 tablespoon strawberry or raspberry vinegar
Instructions
1. Muddle the strawberries and simple syrup with a wooden spoon in a half-gallon jar. Stir in the vodka.
2. Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of strawberries, about 7 days.
3. Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
4. Stir in the vinegar.
5. Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
    Bottoms Up! Serve in a tall glass with lemon and lots of ice.

    Strawberry-Rhubarb Twin Tamer
    Strawberry and rhubarb are mismatched twins, stuck in the same culinary pram because of their sweet-tart affinity but suffering from boundary issues whenever they are conjoined on the stove. The two cook at wildly