Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

------------------------INFORMATION-----------------------------

The other alcohol bases used in liqueur making are brandy, cognac,
Irish or American whiskey, scotch and rum. These all have pronounced
tastes of their own and are frequently used with vodka or pure grain
alcohol to add their special flavor. Choose them with care and use
them sparingly.

Basic brandy is distilled from fermented grape juices. Some brandies
are made from other fruits. Avoid fruit-flavored brandies in liqueur
making, as they will compete with your flavorings. Choose a good
tasting brandy, but avoid the rare, aged and costly brandies which
should be enjoyed on their own.

Cognac is a very fine French brandy which derives its name from the
area where the wine grapes it is made from are grown, Cognac France.
You may, of course, substitute any brandy for cognac, but when we
recommend cognac it is for a superiour liqueur.

Whiskey, or whisky as the Scottish and Canadian versions are spelled,
is almost as varied in taste as rum. American whiskey is generally
distilled from rye, wheat or corn. Irish whiskey and Scotch (short
for Scottish whiskey) are usually made from malted barley. We have
found it best to use Irish whiskey in a traditional Irish liqueur
such as Irish Cream, for more authentic flavor. Wherever this is
important, we have indicated it; if not indicated, use a whiskey that
is pleasing to your taste.

Rum are distilled from sugar and molasses. Most are made in tropical
countries where the sugarcane grows, most notably the Caribbean. The
lighter colored, lighter bodied Puerto Rican or Barbados rums work
well. The Jamaican rums are heavier and sweeter. Take care to match
the rum to the type of liqueur. Our best advice is to choose a rum
that you find smooth and pleasing.

Fresh fruits are the most delicate ingredients in liqueur making. It
does make a difference whether the fruits are picked at peak of their
season or are the last stragglers. There really is no substitute for
fresh fruit. Sometimes frozen fruit can be substituted, but try to
follow the fresh fruit seasons if you can.

Fruit peel, often referred to as zest, should be thinly cut, away
from the white portion of the fruit. Citrus fruits should be washed
very carefully to remove dust and chemical sprays. Liqueurs can be
ruined by a mold, spoilage or spray that is present in the fruit.

Dried fruit liqueurs can be made any time of the year. But again,
chose fresh quality dried fruits for the best taste. Dried fruits can
deteriorate with age but it is a slower process.

Fresh seeds, herbs and spices are frequently called for in our liqueur
recipes. Always purchase the freshest and best quality spices, etc.
possible. While the more common varieties are available in a
supermarket, others such as dried angelica root may not be. Health
food stores and herb/spice shops usually carry a wider selection at
more economical prices.

In order to release the full flavor of a fruit or seed, the recipe
will indicate that it be cut open or bruised. A mortar and pestle
are ideal for bruising, however, a small bowl and the back of a spoon
may be substituted. Bruising is a partial crushing of the seed to
release the inner flavor to the liquid medium.

Pure glycerine is an olorless, colorless, syrupy liquid prepared by
the hydrolysis of fats and oils. It is used as a food preservative
and is available at drug stores, liqueur and winemaking shops, and
some herb stores. We think of it as a smoothener. It performs two
services: first, it gives additional body to thinner liqueurs that do
not have as much natural body as desired. Secondly, it adds a
smoothness and slipperiness in the tasting or sipping of a liqueur
that gives a professional quality. In general, qantities of glycerine
will vary, depending upon the need of the individual liqueur.
However, we recommend that you do not exceed 1 tablespoon per quart
of liqueur.

Glucose syrup is a sweet syrup that can be found in cake decorating
shops.
It has the consistency of corn syrup, and in its commercial form
contains dextrin and maltose. It is not as sweet as the sugar and
water combinations that we use in our recipes, but is an interesting
alternative if you wish to experiment. It has the advantage of
having a thick consistency which makes the addition of glycerine
unnecessary.

Water: Water quality and taste vary considerably from one area to
another. If you have good tasting water, you may choose to use it in
liqueur making. However, for the best quality control in liqueur
making, use distilled water. Distilled water will not impart any off
flavors and you will receive the fullest taste from your liqueur.

Aging: There is one element in liqueur making that is absolutely
essential to good quality and taste. The aging process. We are
amazed to find that so many recipes (from other sources) ignore this
step. Aging removes the raw edge of the alcohol, no matter which type
of alcohol used. It lends mellowness and a professional quality to a
liqueur that develops only with time. Your home made liqueur will be
quite different from its commercial counterpart if not correctly aged.

We have indicated minimum aging times for each recipe. After this
period of time, the liqueur is certainly ready for cooking purposes,
but you may choose to age it additionaly before drinking. We
recommend a taste test at this time. Except for the refrigerated
cream liqueurs, (Advocaat, and irish Cream), which should be used
within 6 months, most of our recipes will be at their peak after 1
years aging. Non-Cream liqueurs stay at their peak for about 3 years.
If you choose to double, triple or halve a liqueur recipe, it will
not affect the aging time. Submitted By HELEN PEAGRAM On 04-12-95

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