Making liqueurs

Last June I blogged about the picking wild cherries at the local park and turning them into cherry liqueur, and since then I've completely forgotten to post the results. Well, those very same cherry trees are about to erupt into bloom, so I think it's time to show you our wild cherry liqueur.

I ended up with about two litres of black liqueur that has an intense cherry fragrance and a syrupy flavour. The sweet cherry taste is balanced by a soft nuttiness and a slightly bitter flavour, and although it tastes nice it is a bit hard to drink straight. The liqueur in the picture above is heavily watered down, which is not only a better way to drink it but the only way the colours would show up in the picture. This is dark, dark stuff.

My next project is strawberry liqueur. I made some a few years ago and although it turned out a little bit too sweet it was totally delicious. I ended up giving it away to so many people that there was hardly any left for me, which I've regretted ever since. This time I'm keeping it all to myself!

If you can find the ingredients, why not try making some strawberry liqueur for yourself? It's super-easy and tastes a thousand times better than anything you can buy in a store. If you're in Japan, the strawberries will be in the markets for another month or so, so this is a good time to start. This is what you'll need to make it:

• 200 to 500 grams rock sugar
• 1.8 litres "white liquor", or other alcohol 
• 3 1/2 packs strawberries, washed, hulled and dried
• 1 vanilla bean, split (optional) 
• A large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid

OK, you probably have questions already, so I'll go ahead and answer them: 1) It doesn't really have to be rock sugar, that's just the kind that is used here. The amount of sugar depends on you: 500 grams or more will result in a very sweet liqueur, so use less sugar if you don't want it syrupy. Keep in mind that more sugar can always be added at the end if it's not sweet enough, but it's very hard to fix a too-sweet liqueur. 2) "White liquor" is a 35% distilled alcohol widely sold in Japan. Although it's meant for liqueur making it can be a bit harsh and nasty, so don't buy the cheapest kind. Or use vodka. 3) Why 3 1/2 packs of strawberries? Because that way you can start off with 4 packs and then eat them while you hull them, little sneak that you are. 4) There is no vanilla bean in the picture because they don't sell that kind of thing out here in the sticks. I'll add it later. If you can't find vanilla or don't like it, try using lemons instead. Here is my recipe for strawberry liqueur with lemons from a few years ago.

To make the liqueur, add the strawberries and rock sugar to the jar in layers. Most of the Japanese recipes say to do that, but honestly I don't know if it's necessary. The sugar will settle to the bottom in a few days anyway. But it looks pretty, so why not. Some recipes also say to pour the alcohol into the jar first, so when you drop the strawberries in they will splash around and not get bruised. But I don't think bruising is a big problem.

Pour in the white liquor. Make sure you completely cover the fruit and sugar with the alcohol.

Seal the jar tightly and store in a cool dry place for at least 2 to 3 months. You can start tasting it after 2 months, but I find it tastes best after 3 or 4 months. When it's done, drain it into another jar, saving the strawberries (they won't look pretty but they'll be great in smoothies or over ice cream). You can give it another strain with a coffee filter if you want to remove the fine particles leftover from the berries.

And that's it. If these instructions sound vague, that's because making fruit liqueurs is not an exact science. It's very hard to screw up and totally acceptable to make substitutions and fiddle with recipes. Seriously: the liqueur jars, sugar and white liquor sold in Japan all come with recipes, and they're all different.

So now that you know how easy it is, there's no excuse not to try it for yourself!

Update: it turned out nicely, but I found I didn't really like the combination of vanilla and strawberries. The vanilla overpowered the delicate strawberry flavour and gave the liqueur a slightly cloying quality, and while this might be nice with tart strawberries I don't think it works with the very sweet, bland strawberries favoured here in Japan. I much prefer the lemon version. Still, it's totally drinkable and vanilla fans might really like it.

Comments

[Janet]

Can you store it in the refrigerator?

Beautiful pictures, btw :-)

[carlyn]

Amy;
Thank you for the recipe!!! I'm going to try this when strawberry season rolls around in CT> This sounds delicious!!!

[Jason Truesdell]

Hiromi and I went strawberry picking last year and we used a small amount of the strawberries for a little more than 1 liter of strawberry liqueur... even with only a modest amount of sugar it turned out very sweet, though I did use an insanely high-proof vodka (150 proof) that may have extracted more of the sugars from the fruit... It's too sweet, and too alcoholic, to drink straight, but works great in cocktails with lemon juice and soda and something less sweet (like more vodka or some gin).

[Amy]

Janet,
I've never tried. I suppose if it was the only suitable place then the fridge would be fine. And when it's done and the fruit is drained, the fridge is probably the best place to keep it. I think liqueurs will continue to develop when stored outside of the fridge, which can be good for umeshu (have you ever tried a dark brown decades-old umeshu?). But I'm not sure what would happen to strawberry liqueur after extended room temperature storage. Maybe I'll do an experiment with this stuff- thanks for the idea!

Carlyn,
If CT is similar to southern Ontario, I guess that's June and July? I'll be making a visit home then, which means I get to enjoy two strawberry seasons this year!

Jason,
Well, I think umeshu (and only a well-made one) is the only fruit liqueur I really like to drink straight, so very sweet is kind of what I'm going for.
What kind of vodka did you use? I find the white liquor and lower-end vodkas to be a bit harsh, so I'm looking for a good, but not too terribly expensive, base for my next liqueur.

[Jason Truesdell]

I usually just use Gordon's or Gilbey's vodka when I make an infused gin... fancier ones seem to get lost in infusion, since the sugar and fruit usually become the dominant flavors (I did use Absolut once and it was a waste of expensive vodka).

However, I rarely start drinking fruit-infused liqueurs until at least 4 months in. They are usually harsh at 2-3 months... my lychee infusions usually start tasking drinkable after 2 months, but mellow out considerably after 3 or 4, and continue to evolve after that. Umeshu isn't usually nice until at least 5 or 6 months, and longer if the sugar quantity is low. Karin-shu is usually at its best after 6 months, too.

Matcha-infused gin with some sugar usually tastes good after about a week, though.

The high-proof vodka I used with the strawberries sped up the infusion quite a lot... It was surprisingly sweet and deeply red very quickly... within a week or two I forget the brand name, but I anticipated the result would be sweet, so I wasn't going for sippability; just mixability.

A friend tells my his mother-in-law use Remy Martin Cognac as a base for umeshu and it was the best one he has ever tried :P I suspect if you try some non-neutral spirits you could get more complexity in those 3 months, and you'll have something that's smoother to begin with.

[Jason Truesdell]

ack... I meant to say "when I make an infused vodka"... I also make some infused gins, but rarely fruit ones :)

[j-ster]

Hmmm, I totally covet one of those jars. I wonder whether my boy or bro could bring one over...? Im sure I could look around here for a substitute, but I miss those particular jars.

[Angelina]

I want the jar too! I made a strawberry liqueur once and it didn't turn out well. Much to sweet so that it actually kind of obscured the berry flavor.

I wish I could get my hands on some 100 proof vodka or some white lightening. You've got me wanting to try making some again this year.

I really enjoyed this post!

[Amy]

Jason, that's interesting. I'd never considered that the proof of the alcohol could be a factor in the speed of infusion. Oooh, and I'd love to use Remy Martin as a liqueur base!

J-ster, they probably could, but the jars are so big and heavy it wouldn't be easy. I wonder if one could be shipped?

Thanks Angelina! I hope your liqueur turns out nicely this year.

[paula]

hello
i have a few questions before ventuering into making these liqueurs...
first, can i use any kind of fruit? like peaches, apples or pears? what about banannas?
next, granulated cane sugar is ok to use?
finally...the when you say 3 1/2 baskets of strawberries, do you mean the little pint sized green baskets?

i can't wait til this weekend to try my hand at these. we live in an 100 year old house with a root cellar...perfect!
iam thinking of making several different flavors and giving little bottles of it (if it is yummy) as xmas gifts!
paula

[andrea]

hi,
i made the strawberry liquer 3 weeks ago and used white sugar. the sugar has sunk to the bottom and has not dissolved (i guess rock sugar is the best to use). any ideas on what i should do (stir it around, add rock sugar)?
thanks!
-a

btw: i found your blog by accident months ago and love it! it's so useful. i really want to visit japan!

[Amy]

Paula, Wow-- a 100-year-old root cellar? How lucky!
I think pretty much any fruit can be used, but the recipe might vary a bit for each one. Your best bet is to do an online search. Granulated sugar is fine, and the packs of strawberries sold here in Japan have about 300 grams worth of strawberries.

Thanks Andrea! Don't worry about the sugar, it takes time to dissolve. Some recipes call for sugar syrup, but I there's nothing wrong with using regular sugar and waiting for it to dissolve on its own.