It’s now in the later part of September. That means the holidays are literally around the corner. I can’t keep up. However- I am doing little things like planning ahead on some things. I decided that I would start now & make some homemade liquors – sipping brandy in various flavors. I will probably also use them in holiday recipes because I don’t really drink alcohol. But I really like cooking with it.
I’m going to share with you all the process now so that you can make your own in time for the holidays. It should be ready for straining & bottling just in time for gift giving. It makes a wonderful hostess gift for all those holiday parties or for handing out to the neighbors or co-workers.
How to Make Homemade Liquors
You can see I just used some painters tape on the top & wrote the date & a reminder of when the jar should be upright.
This helps to remember if you have turned them each day or not- unless you forget for a couple days 🙂
I put these together the night before I took the pictures. As you can see the sugar had almost completely dissolved & the liquid had started turning color already. I’m really going to love watching this process over the next couple months. I have between now & then to find some really pretty bottles for the finished product & I’m so excited.
Ingredients
- 1 - 2 pt jar per flavor
- 2-1/2 cups fruit of choice (or enough to fill the jar)
- (*note- if making apricot brandy you can add the apricots whole- do not pit or skin)
- 12 tbsp granulated sugar
- Vodka (least expensive- plastic bottle) to fill
Instructions
- Sterilize your jars & allow to cool
- Fill with your fruit to the neck of the jar
- Add sugar
- Pour in your vodka- to the neck of the jar
- Put on lid making sure your seal is tight.
- Add a strip of tape & write the date on it
- Store on the counter - does not have to be a particularly sunny or dark place
- Flip every day for 3 months - once the fruit shrinks & is floating in the liquid it's okay to just give it a good shake everyday
- When the 3 months is up- strain out the fruit pieces through a colander
- To make the brandy more clear- strain again though a coffee filter.
- Transfer to air tight decorative bottles if giving as a gift.
What flavors will you make??
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
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This is really cool! Would definitely make a neat gift!
MMMMMmmm. These look SO good. Great idea. I’m hosting a throw pillow giveaway that you should enter! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/09/pillow-covers-giveaway.html
What an awesome idea!! I think Im going to try this out! Thank you 🙂
Glad you like it Ashley- hope you give it a try.
Lovely. My sister did something similar with blueberries. I’ve been planning on trying coffee flavored rum. This just confirms I have to try this. Saw on Show Stopper Saturday.
Oh I sure hope you do. Makes for lovely gifts.
ohh, that looks delicious.. how much vodka did you use? i ended up using 2 pt vodka for a 4 pt jar…
It really depends on the fruit that you add to the jar first- I just filled my 2pt jar with the fruit & sugar & then added the vodka until it covered the fruit – I didn’t measure the vodka. I’m sure if I had measured it out it would be different for each one being that the fruits have different volumes.
LOVE THIS. Please come link up with me 🙂 cass-eats.blogspot.com
This is so pretty! What a fun idea!
When you say flip over you mean upside down. Back and forth? Sorry to sound like a dumm
Yes Wendi- right side up one day & upside down the next.
These look like so much fun to prepare as gifts for the holidays. I am not sure what pt means, those look like quart jars? Not pints.
Thanks Karen- they are 2 pint jars- which is the same as 1 quart. The box labeled them as 2 pint & I was adding things by the 1/2 pint so that was why I marked it as such.