Homebrew Underground

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.

Continue to Amaretto Liqueur Recipe – Part III

This is the award winning recipe for Amaretto Liqueur that won a Gold Award at the 2007 34th Annual U.S. Amateur Winemaking Competition. My name is listed on the winners page (Gold Award Wines – Last Name: Doughty).

There are many homemade Amaretto recipes on the Internet. There is one brand of commercial Amaretto that stands apart from all other imitations – DiSaronno Originale. When I developed this recipe I was trying to achieve the flavor of DiSaronno Originale. I believe my recipe is the best of all the homemade liqueur recipes for Amaretto because it contains flavorings that you won’t find in any other homemade Amaretto recipe. The main ingredient for most Amaretto recipes on the Internet is almonds. A good Amaretto is based on apricot kernels plus almonds, not just almonds alone. DiSaronno Originale uses apricot kernel oil – a key ingredient for the main flavor. I believe that DiSaronno uses a special apricot kernel oil made to their exact specifications that is not obtainable commercially to anyone else. I believe that this is the secret ingredient which is the very heart and soul of DiSaronno Originale. You can approach this flavor by combining and macerating chopped almonds and apricot kernels with a high volume alcohol vodka, but it won’t have the intensity of the original. But you can achieve a very good high quality result with care and skill.

A good Amaretto also has a licorice – like flavor in addition to almonds and apricot kernels. My recipe contains anise and fennel seed which provides the licorice flavor. My recipe also uses caramel syrup (like DiSaronno Originale). Most other recipes you will find on the Internet don’t contain any caramel. Like DiSaronno Originale, my recipe also contains selected compatible fruits in addition to the nuts, seeds and other botanicals. Still, other recipes recommend thickeners like glycerin. My recipe contains all natural ingredients. Thickeners are unnecessary if you follow my reccomendations for making standard sugar syrup and standard caramel syrup found here at this blog.

Although DiSaronno Originale is made from pure grain alcohol, which is fine for a commercial enterprise, the average homebrewer will do fine with a good quality 80 proof vodka and 80 proof brandy obtainable at most liquor stores and grocery stores. The whole idea is to be able to make it at home with readily available (and affordable) ingredients. This recipe is surprisingly easy to make. It is very straightforward and follows the usual steps of macerating the spirits and botanicals together for about 4 weeks, followed by straining, filtering and clarification, then finally sweetening and adding extracts before bottling. For sweetening you will need to make batches of standard sugar syrup and standard caramel syrup – both made from scratch with granulated cane sugar.

Part I – Preparing and Combining the Ingredients

Begin by chopping the dried apricots into 1/4 inch chunks. Then add them to the 2 quart Mason jar and cover with 1/2 cup of distilled water and let soak for about 4 hours to rehydrate while you prepare the remaining ingredients. After rehydrating you should see some orange colored apricot juice surrounding the fruit at the bottom of the jar.

Shown below is a shot of a coffee grinder with bags of apricot kernels and raw almonds. Make sure you use raw (not roasted) almonds. You could also use a hand chopper, but the coffee grinder is a lot faster and easier.

Chop the almonds and apricot kernels. Don’t overdo it. You just want to chop them like when using a chopper. If you overdo it you’ll have a mess of powder.

Pour the chopped almonds and apricot kernels into a dish, then using the coffee grinder, chop the anise and fennel seeds, along with the peppercorn, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. Add these to the dish and set it aside, then add the chopped peppermint leaves (buy the peppermint leaves already chopped).

Shown below is a batch of jars with the rehydrated apricots in the back row. In front of the 2 qt Mason jars is a row of 1 qt. Mason jars with 3 cups of vodka in each jar. In front of the vodka jars are dishes filled with the chopped dry botanicals. All that remains is to add the frozen fruit, then add 1 cup of brandy to each jar, then add the vodka and chopped dry ingredients.

After all the dry ingredients are prepared and the apricots have rehydrated and just before adding the vodka and brandy, pull the frozen peaches out of the freezer and chop them up while still frozen, then add them to the jar (DO NOT THAW the peaches).

Now immediately add the vodka and brandy to the jar. You do it this way to prevent the peaches from oxidizing and turning dark. The alcohol will act as a preservative and prevent oxidation. This is very important. After you add the peaches, add the cherries – whether fresh or frozen. Frozen is better because they will be jucier and will add more flavor and color. You will only use about 5 large cherries per jar. Freezing breaks down the cell walls of the fruit thereby liberating more juice than fresh fruit.

Shown below is a shot of a batch of jars with all the fruit combined with vodka and brandy just before adding the dry botanicals. The dishes in front of the jars contain measured amounts of all the chopped seeds, nuts, spices, herbs and other dry botanicals.

Add the chopped dry ingredients to the jar and shake thoroughly to mix together. The mixture is now ready to macerate for 4 weeks. Set aside in a cool place – like in a garage – for 4 weeks. After 2 1/2 to 3 weeks, open the jar and crush all the fruit with a wooden spoon, then put the lid back on the jar to complete the maceration. Periodically shake the ingredients to keep them mixed up. Don’t shake during the last 4-5 days.

Continue to Amaretto Liqueur Recipe – Part II

Clarifying the Liqueur – "Racking"

After 4 weeks, the macerated spirits will take on a golden yellow color. Now it’s time to clarify and separate the macerated spirits from the sediments.

CAREFULLY pour off the nearly clear portion from the top of the jar into a clean jar through a metal coffee filter. 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.

Tip: Save the chopped almonds from the strainer and put them into a plastic bag and put them into the refrigerator and save them for making almond liqueur cookies.

Pour the sludge collected in the saucepan into a separate "sludge jar". Allow the sediments to settle for a few days in this jar, then rack off the top part through a metal coffee filter similar to the first racking above.

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. You will be rewarded with a high quality finished product that you can bottle and give as gifts or serve to guests. Shown below is a shot taken 9 days after the first racking. It’s nearly clarified, but not finished.

After several rackings, you will have a clarified product ready to sweeten and bottle. Shown below is a shot of the macerated spirits 30 days after the first racking. It is completely clear.

Sweetening (and Bottling) the Liqueur

After the final racking, it’s time to add vanilla extract and sweeten the liqueur. Typically I will add extracts and sweeteners to home made liqueurs after clarification, but not always (with some fruit liqueurs I will add the sugar before maceration). The amount of vanilla extract and sugar syrup will depend on the volume of clarified macerated spirits. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for every cup of clarified macerated spirits and sweeten with 1 cup of sugar syrup for every 2 cups of clarified macerated spirits. Sweeten with Standard Sugar Syrup using the recipe found here at this blog. The vanilla extract can be McCormick brand or other brand available from a grocery store. Shown below is a bottle of Kirkland brand vanilla extract which I bought from a local Costco store. On the left is a jar of Standard Sugar Syrup. You can vary the amount of sugar syrup to taste. A good liqueur should not be too strong (not too alcoholic). It should be a little bit on the sweet side.

After adding the vanilla extract and sugar syrup, the almond liqueur is finished and ready to serve or bottle.

Making almond liqueur is one of the easiest liqueurs to make and is an ideal home made liqueur for beginners. It is very tasty and very easy to make and is something you can serve to guests.

You will need to obtain raw (not salted or roasted) almonds. I have bought raw almonds from Trader Joes (in Southern California). I was also very surprised to see them available in 3 lb. bags from Costco for a very good price. If you plan to make a lot of almond liqueur, then perhaps it would be an economical choice to buy them from Costco.

Like most nut liqueurs, it requires a 4 week maceration period to infuse the full flavor into the spirits. After maceration expect to wait an additional 3 to 4 weeks for the macerated spirits to fully clarify. After the macerated spirits is fully clarified, then it can be sweetened and bottled.

I have worked out this recipe from other similar recipes I have read on the Internet. This is my version:

Making The Liqueur

Obtain the ingredients from your local grocery store. Make sure you use raw, uncooked almonds. Do not use roasted almonds. I bought mine from Trader Joe’s here in Southern California for a very modest price. I was able to obtain a bag of cinamon stocks in 1-inch pieces from Herb Products Co, but you can use any brand of cinnamon sticks readily obtainable in the spice section of most any grocery store.

Measure out the almonds first then grind the almonds in a coffee grinder. Keep the grind pretty coarse and be careful not to overdo it. If it’s too powdery it will be difficult to strain and filter. You’ll have to do it in parts. Add only as much as will fill the metal cup in the grinder at one time.

Pour off the ground almonds and repeat until all the almonds are ground up. Note the measuring cup on the right where the almonds were measured first before grinding. After grinding the almonds, use the coffee grinder to finely chop the the 3 inches of cinnamon sticks.

Add the ground almonds and chopped cinnamon to the 1/2 gal Mason jar, then add the 1/2 cup of sugar.

Finally, add the 6 cups of vodka.

Close the lid tightly, then thoroughly shake all the ingredients.

Now, set the jar aside and let it macerate for 4 weeks. Every few days, shake the jar up again to keep the ingredients mixed. Do not shake the jar after 3 weeks. Let it settle in the last week to make it easy to rack off the clarified part. In the next post I will show you how to clarify the macerated spirits before sweetening and bottling.

Continue to Almond Liqueur Recipe – Part II

This Part II straining step applies to both varieties of cherry liqueur – dark charry liqueur and tart cherry liqueur. In this straining step of either of these recipes, you need a common kitchen stainless steel strainer and some food grade cheese cloth. Make sure the cheese cloth is food grade. Some cheese cloth is sold for automotive detailing and is not suitable for this step.

Straining The Liqueur

The first step in straining the liqueur is to pour all the contents from the Mason Jar into the strainer over a saucepan or pot. All the cherries will collect in the strainer. Empty the saucepan or pot and pour the juice and vodka mixture into a clean Mason Jar:

Add some of the cherries to a piece of cheesecloth and gently squeeze them so the juice collects in the saucepan or pot:

When all the juice has been squeezed out of the cheese cloth, pour it into the Mason Jar. Repeat this process on small batches of the cherries until all the juice is squeezed out:

Now set the Mason Jar aside in a cool place and let it age for 2 to 3 months. During this time, sediments will settle to the bottom of the jar. At some point, rack off the clarified liqueur leaving the "sludge" or "slag" behind in the jar. When the time comes to bottle the liqueur, bottle only the clearest liqueur. This is the best quality. A good explanation of "racking" can be found at Gunther Anderson’s website on making liqueur.

There are two main varieties of cherries for making liqueurs. There are dark, sweet cherries and there are sour (or tart), red cherries. This is my recipe for tart cherry liqueur.

Tart cherries make a very fine liqueur. It is hard to find sour/tart cherries in most stores. The only ones I could find in a super market was the canned variety for making cherry pie filling. This variety is inadequate for making quality liqueur. I live in Southern California. I have found a source for sour cherries in Glendale, California – the Central Grand Market. For this recipe, I bought frozen sour cherries. When thawed, they became very juicy … perfect for making liqueur.

There is a growing season when you can obtain fresh tart cherries. I even heard that you can pay and pick them yourself. I believe this can be done at an orchard in Palmdale, California. I will post more specific information here if I obtain it.

Here is my recipe for Tart Cherry Liqueur:

Making The Liqueur

First add the cherries and Vodka to the Mason jar:

Wait 4 weeks, then add the sugar, then shake thoroughly to dissolve the sugar.

Wait for another 4 weeks while the liqueur macerates. In the next post, I’ll go over the filtering and straining.

Continue to Cherry Liqueur Recipe – Part II

There are two main varieties of cherries for making liqueurs. There are dark, sweet cherries and there are sour (or tart), red cherries, the latter being used most often in making cherry pie. These make two distinct varieties of liqueur. This is my recipe for dark cherry liqueur.

This recipe is made with vodka only. I have seen many other recipes for cherry liqueur that use brandy in addition to vodka … some with more brandy than others. I have made it both ways, but I feel that this recipe makes a more pure, clear flavor than if made with brandy. The cherry liqueur I have made with brandy is okay and it mixes well with cocktails (see the recipe for the Singapore Sling), but the flavor is drier and heavier than this recipe. The whole trick is to allow enough time for the liqueur to age. Don’t serve it right away after macerating. Immediately after macerating, the liqueur will be very one dimensional and will lack depth. Allow it to age for a few months.

I have made this recipe with fresh cherries and with frozen cherries. I got the best results with fresh, dark, ripe and juicy cherries. At the time, local fresh cherries were out of season (it was Winter here in Southern California), so the ones I got were from Chile.

Here is my recipe for Dark Cherry Liqueur:

Making The Liqueur

First add the cherries, sugar and vodka to the Mason jar, then shake thoroughly to dissolve the sugar:

This recipe uses the pits from some of the cherries. If cherries are not in season, then you will have to wait, or obtain the cherry pits by some other means and make the recipe with frozen cherries. The pits add a nutty flavor and gives the liqueur an added dimension and depth. I pitted some fresh cherries, then washed and dried the pits, then cracked them open with a pair of pliers:

Washing the pits is very easy. Use an ordinary stainless steel mesh colander. Place it in a sink filled with about 3 to 4 inches of water. Add the pits to the colander, then scrub them against the wire mesh to loosen and separate the cherry flesh from the shells. Place them on a paper towel and blot the pits, then allow them to dry.

Chop the kernels using a chopper:

Using the chopper is fast and easy and makes finely chopped kernels:

Add the chopped kernels to the mixture, screw on the lid, then shake the jar.

Here is shot of the jar after adding all the ingredients at step one. It is ready to begin maceration. Cherry liqueur takes a little more time to macerate than Blackberry liqueur and it takes a few months to age to really bring out the flavor.

Now we wait for 8 weeks while the liqueur macerates. In the next post, I’ll go over the filtering and straining.

Continue to Cherry Liqueur Recipe – Part II

In a previous post, the blackberry liqueur was set aside to allow it to macerate. During maceration, the fruit flavors are infused into the vodka. Infusion is the basis of all home liqueur making. After 2 weeks, it’s time to strain and filter the liqueur.

In this recipe, we added sugar and sugar syrup before maceration. Some recipes call for adding sugar and sugar syrup after maceration. It is generally faster and easier to strain and filter without sugars or syrups because this tends to make the liqueur thicker and more difficult to filter. Nevertheless, I didn’t find it too difficult. Please see the article on straining and filtering here on the website. There is a lot of useful information in that article which will help when straining and filtering blackberry liqueur.

First: Using a Kitchen Strainer

Get a saucepan or pot that is big enough to use with a kitchen strainer. I like to use stainless steel. Make sure it is clean so it doesn’t impart any off flavors to the liqueur. Open the Mason Jar and carefully pour all the contents into the strainer.

Tip: Save the blackberry strainings and put them in a jar and refrigerate. They are very delicious and can be used to make pastries: Blackberry Liqueur Pie and Blackberry Liqueur Turnovers.

Second: Using a Metal Filter

Rinse out the Mason Jar and turn it upside down on a paper towel to let all the water drain out. Place the coffee maker funnel over the jar and place the metal filter inside the funnel. Slowly pour the contents of the saucepan into the filter. When the filter becomes clogged, pour the remaining contents back into the pan and rinse out the filter, then repeat until all the contents have been filtered. Repeat the process with the metal filter once more. This second time should go much faster with less stopping for rinsing.

Third: Filtering with Paper Towels

Pour the contents back into the saucepan or pot. Line the funnel with a paper towel and slowly pour the contents into the paper towel. When it becomes clogged, carefully remove it, then squeeze any excess back into the pot, then discard the soaked paper towel. Repeat this step for the remaining contents.

Fourth: Final Filtering with Paper Filters

Pour the contents back into the saucepan or pot, then place a paper filter into the funnel:

Slowly pour the contents into the paper filter. When it becomes clogged, carefully remove it, then squeeze any excess back into the pot, then discard the used filter. Repeat this step for the remaining contents.

Finally: Blending

My recipe calls for blending 1 part 100-proof vodka to 8 parts strained and filtered liqueur. I like to use Smirnoff No. 57. It is very smooth and contains very little impurites (congeners) so I use it for blending. It will enhance the flavor of the liqueur.

After straining, filtering and blending, you can transfer the batch to a 1 qt. Mason Jar. Let it settle and age for several weeks before bottling. Typically, the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the jar will be foggy after aging and clarification. This is mostly comprised of fruit pulp that slipped through the paper filters. The finished liqueur can be served neat as an after dinner cordial or as an ingredient in a cocktail such as a Blackberry Zinger.

You can make Blackberry Liqueur at home very easily in about 2 weeks. I originally found a very good recipe for Blackberry Liqueur at Gunther Anderson’s website: (Vargas and Gulling Blackberry Liqueur). This is how I make it, though. The original recipe calls for 100 proof Vodka – which is normally a lot more expensive than common 80-proof Vodka. So I came up with this less expensive way to make it. The trick here is to macerate with 80-proof Vodka, then blend with a little 100-proof Vodka after straining and filtering.

Another big difference between my recipe and the Vargas and Gulling recipe is that I use Standard Sugar Syrup rather than light corn syrup. You can find Karo brand light corn syrup in most grocery stores, but I am not a fan of corn syrup. I prefer using cane sugar. It is more traditional, and I think it gives a better taste and it is less viscous. I have even seen other recipes in other websites that call for thickening homemade liqueurs with glycerin. I believe that sweetening with properly prepared sugar syrup makes a far superior final product.

Here is another tip: Save the blackberry strainings at Step 2 and put them in a jar and refrigerate. The strained leftovers can have a second life. They are very delicious and can be used to make pastries: Blackberry Liqueur Pie and Blackberry Liqueur Turnovers.

Here is my recipe for Blackberry Liqueur:

Below is a shot of of the most recent batch Blackberry Liqueur that I made. I bought 3 containers of some really nice looking fresh blackberries at Costco. I forgot how many ounces they were per container, but those 3 containers of blackberries made enough for 5 (count ‘em FIVE) 2 Qt. Mason jars!

I don’t recommend you make this much at a time, because it took the better part of a day just to strain and filter it all! The glass dishes in front of the jars hold the lemon zest. I used two fresh lemons for this batch. First, I zested the lemons, and then I cut them in half and squeezed them.

Here is another shot of the jars after adding the Vodka and Brandy and the lemon juice, lemon zest and Standard Sugar Syrup. They are all ready to begin maceration. Note the jar of Standard Sugar Syrup on the far right.

Now we wait for 2 weeks while the liqueur macerates. In the next post I’ll cover the filtering and straining step.

Continue to Blackberry Liqueur Recipe – Part II

Here is a shot of some of my liqueurs.

I started making liqueurs last year. My first liqueur was a batch of almond liqueur. I took it to one of my neighbors and they encouraged me to make more. When I made more – and gave them a bottle – they insisted on a label. My wife came up with the name and so I made a logo and a label. In later posts I will show you where to obtain labels (or make your own) and where to get bottles, corks and seals. This will give your home made liqueurs that professional touch and will show that you take pride in your homebrews.

Right now I have 4 flavors: almond, almond caramel, blackberry and dark cherry. We give them to our friends, neighbors and people we do business with. In some of the upcoming posts, I’ll show you how to make blackberry liqueur. Blackberry liqueur is fast and easy to make, and when you are finished making the liqueur, you can make blackberry liqueur pastries from the berry "mash" that’s leftover from the liqueur making process … blackberry liqueur pie and blackberry liqueur turnovers.