Homemade Amaretto Liqueur: Part 2

Feb
17

2008

Part II – Straining, Filtering and Clarification

After 4 weeks, the macerated spirits are ready for straining, filtering and clarification before blending and bottling. If you have taken care not to shake the jar in the last week or so, the top portion of the jar should be be relatively clarified like the photo below.

Carefully pour the clarified top portion through a metal coffee filter into a clean jar. Stop pouring as soon as some of the sediments begin to come out. This is called "racking" (this is the first racking). When the sediments start to flow into the filter, stop pouring and setup a saucepan with a kitchen strainer.

Pour the remaining solids and "sludge" into the saucepan through the kitchen strainer.

Below is a shot of the saucepan with the strainer and all the solids from the jar. Let it settle for several minutes to allow all the liquid to pass through the strainer.

Pour the sludge collected in the saucepan into a separate "sludge jar". Allow the sediments to settle, the rack off the top part and filter through a metal coffee filter similar to the earler step. Shown below is a before and after comparison after only 1 hour and 10 minutes. This illustrates just how much liqueur can be collected with very little effort.

Repeat the racking steps over and over several times over a period of weeks, allowing the sediments to collect at the bottom of the jar, then racking off the clarified parts into a clean jar. Use two jars – one for the main part that is nearly clarified and one for the cloudy part. As more an more of the macerated spirits are cleared up from the cloudy part, you can transfer the clarified part to the other jar. Use paper coffee filters periodically to filter out the sediments. BE PATIENT and do not be in a hurry.

Shown below is a photo of the clarified macerated spirits after several weeks of racking and filtering. It is now ready for blending and bottling.