Homemade Liquors!

Yup, that's right!  Make your own liquors!  To purchase good quality liquors and cordials can be very expensive.  So if you want to save money, purchase fruits from the farm stand or when they go on sale at your local market.  Not only do they taste great, you can take pride in your creations.  Or if you start early enough, you've got great gifts for the holidays!  Above you will see a variety that I started.  From left to right, Kahlua, Limoncello, Triple Sec, Chambord, Blueberry and Banana liquor.

Chambord is one the most expensive liquors on the market.   If you purchase the blackberries in May, when it is their harvest time, you can make quite a bit of this liquor very inexpensively.  I also have a blueberry going here and recently started a batch of strawberry.  To make this:
1.)  Rinse 1 lb. of berries, drain and mash.  Add 3 cups of vodka.
2.)  Cap and store for 2 - 4 weeks, making sure to stir or shake at least once a week.
3.)  Strain and transfer to bottles.
4.)  Add the sugar, recap, shake and let mellow for three months.

Limoncello can also be made with other citrus fruits such as limes, grapefruit, or oranges.  To make Limoncello or Triple Sec:
1.)  Zest 10 lemons (or other citrus), pour in 1 liter of vodka, cover loosely and let the mixture infuse for one week.
2.)  Combine water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and boil for one week.  Bring to room temperature.
3.)  Stir vodka into syrup.  Strain into bottles.
4.)  Age for two weeks at room temperature.  Best served cold.

Creme de Banana is also a favorite liquor and also simple to make.  To make this:
1.)  Make a simple syrup with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 3/4 c of water.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla.  Allow the syrup to come to room temperature.
2.)  Mash 2 ripe bananas, add the syrup and 3 cups of vodka.  Cover and let stand for 3-4 days.  Shaking once a day.
3.)  Strain.  The liquor will be cloudy.  Cover and let it stand until it clears.  Rack in a clean container.  Cover and let it age for 30 days.  If more sediments settles in bottle, rack before serving.
Kahlua is surprisingly simple to make.  But the most important ingredient is to use espresso!  American coffee is not strong enough to make the flavor correct.  To make Kahlua:
1.)  Brew a cup of espresso.  Add 1 cup of sugar.  After cool, add half a vanilla bean split and 2 cups of vodka.  Transfer to a bottle.
2.)  Age 4 weeks, strain and bottle.

There is an online store to purchase bottles but once you add in the shipping, it costs the same as visiting your Christmas tree shop and purchasing bottles.  Recently the store had decorative bottles for $1 per bottle.  Of course I stocked up!  Have fun and remember a great cocktail can be yours in a month or three!!