Cranberry Liqueur

Contains:  Alcohol, added sugar.  Is:  Vegetarian, vegan.  

For after dinner, share a sip or two

I made this one up without reference to any other adult beverages out there.  Just seemed right to me.

This would be suitable for the adults at Thanksgiving, while recovering from all the turkey and sides.   You won’t have enough time to make it for Thursday 2019, but if you celebrate a second Thanksgiving on Saturday (what some people call “Friendsgiving”, you’re good to go.  Since it’s all friends here, I just call them both Thanksgiving.  The holiday is after all about being thankful.  The beverage is also appropriate for the various holidays and get-togethers through December – it won’t go bad.

Cranberries have been lightly simmered, then cooled, and they along with other ingredients are now in the jar.

I use organic coconut/palm sugar (fair trade) – this stuff doesn’t interfere with orangutan habitats, as a lot of the palm sugars and other palm resources might do.  Also, I find that this sugar doesn’t clump into a rock as quickly as even generic white sugar can do (at least in my mostly-sugar seldom-using home).  You can indeed use plain white, but note this is not as finely granulated as regular sugar, which may play with volumes.  Hence, my second batch (for bringing to my second Thanksgiving feast) – the sugar was weighed.    This will help you adjust your sugar content accordingly.

After about five days, the beverage is ready to be poured off, and saved. Note that some one needs to find her large mouth canning lids…

I do ask you use a decent brand of vodka – this doesn’t need (and probably shouldn’t be) top shelf, but I remember the brand, “Our House” which tasted like fingernail polish remover to me.  Vodka should seriously not taste like acetone smells!

Created for the Cranberry Challenge over at CookingBites forum.  I believe this is the first alcoholic beverage I ever created for this blog.

Ready to enjoy.

Prep Time:  10 minutes.
Cook Time:  5 minutes.
Rest Time:  5 days!!!
Serves: ??
Cuisine:  American, since cranberries are native here.
Leftovers:  Yes.

• 6 ounces / 170 grams fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup 120 mL water
• 1.75 ounces / 50 grams OR 0.375 cups / 90 mL organic coconut/palm sugar.   (If you use regular white sugar, go by the weight.)
• Zest from one lemon
• 5 whole cloves.
• 2 cups 475 mL vodka of at least a decent type

Add the sugar to a large Mason or Ball canning jar.

Place the cranberries in water into a small cooktop pot.  Turn heat to medium, or a little above.  Let cranberries come to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  When most of them have split their skins (they make a nice, satisfying little “pop”, turn off the heat and remove from burner.  This should take 3-5 minutes.

If you overcook this, most of the cranberry flavor will be left behind in the water.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the berries to the above jar.

Allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the lemon zest and cloves, and follow up with the vodka.  Cap and set aside (room temperature) for 5- 10 days.  Shake once or twice a day.

Decant through a sieve to serve, smashing the berries against the sieve with the bottom side of a spoon.   Save this in a capped bottle until use.  Should keep indefinitely.

Unfortunately, the berries themselves by this point will be devoid of flavor, and are thus now best composted.

TO SERVE:

1.  In a tiny liqueur glass, pour in a small amount of this liqueur as an after-dinner treat (much like you might do an after dinner tasting of Drambuie or some such).

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There will be some leftover cranberry-flavored water from the simmering – I’d really like cooking and mixing this in with mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, if you in the mood to do so.

This potent liqueur is shared at:

• Fiesta Friday, co-host Laurena @ Life Diet Health.
• MizHelen’s Full Plate Thursday.
• What’s for Dinner?  Sunday Link-Up.

 

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