How to Make Homemade Liquors or homemade brandy. This homemade fruit brandy recipe is so easy & makes excellent gifts for the holidays or any occasion.
It’s now September, can you believe that? 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 & share with you all How to Make Homemade Liquors or sometimes called sipping brandy in a few of our favorite flavors. These make great gifts & I usually also use them in holiday recipes.
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You will love just how simple this is to do. But you have to start now so they are ready in time for the holidays.
It should be ready to strain & bottle just in time for the gift-giving season.
People are always so impressed when they find out its homemade liquor, which is why it makes a wonderful hostess gift for all those holiday parties or for handing out to neighbors or co-workers.
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 of days 🙂
Keep in cool, dark place & just turn, turn, turn. You are just a couple months away from your own homemade fruit liquors.
How to Make Homemade Liquors
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 of months. I have between now & then to find some really pretty bottles for the finished product & I’m so excited.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Where can I find those bottles?
I completely understand your frustration in trying to find these bottles. I think I had picked these up at a craft store or something many years ago & can’t find the exact ones now.
However, here are some links to some similar ones & some other really cool ones that I have picked up since then when I make this for gifts.
They are all still cute, interesting & unique, making them so great for gifts. 17 Oz Glass Bottle Set with Swing Top Stoppers – Glass Beer Bottles with Swing Top Cap – Swing Top Square Glass Bottles – 16 oz Kombucha/Beer Glass Bottles Clear Leak Proof.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Homemade Liquors?
- 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 the 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 every day.
- When the 3 months is up- strain out the fruit pieces through a colander.
- To make the brandy more clear- strain again through a coffee filter.
- Transfer to airtight decorative bottles if giving as a gift.
How to Make Homemade Sipping Brandy
What is the best way to store homemade liquors?
Once you have transferred the final liquor into the bottles continue to store in a cool, dark place like a cabinet or pantry. This will help prolong the life of this recipe.
To make this recipe you will need…
- 2 pint jar- per flavor
- 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
- granulated sugar
- Vodka least expensive- plastic bottle to fill
Products I love when making Homemade Liquors…
This Homemade Liquors recipe is so simple and delicious – and you probably already have many of these items on hand like I do!
OR If you’ve never made liquors at home recipe before, you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love the how great these are for gift-giving season.
I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this delicious recipe.
- 17 Oz Glass Bottle Set with Swing Top Stoppers
- Glass Beer Bottles with Swing Top Cap
- Swing Top Square Glass Bottles
If you love this Homemade Liquors recipe, you’re going to love these other quick & easy liquor recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
easy homemade liquor
If you love this Homemade Liquors Recipe as much as I do, please write a five star review, and be sure to help me share on facebook and pinterest!
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How to Make Homemade Liquors
Ingredients
- One – 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.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Is it possible to leave some of the fruit in the jars for infused fruit, I see that In moonshine often? I’d like to make these for Christmas but was hoping to leave the fruit in? Have you tried this ?!
I have not personally do this as I don’t want to have to strain it when making cocktails. However, I know that a lot of readers have chosen to use the infused fruit when making a compote for topping ice cream or other desserts and baked goods.
How long does it last? Should it be refrigerated to last longer?
Once you drain it – it is basically infused alcohol. So it will last quite a long time if kept in a cool, dark enviornment. Store it just as you would your other spirits.
Used this recipe using my harvest of mulberrys came out delicious can’t wait until next year to do it again
Hey i have a question.Can i add sodiumbenzote into this recipe for to be last long.Thank u💙can l sell them ass of my product.
I don’t recommend adding anything else to this product. It’s alcohol, it doesn’t need a preservative.
Hi, so just curious why the recipe is different for apples vs other fruit?
I did a combo of apple/pear one with bourbon another with vodka. After it’s been sitting the fruit looks so similar I’m not sure which slices are apples and which are pears. Should I follow the apple recipe and strain all the fruit after 2 weeks?
It’s just because of their composition, texture, and size vs things like berries or stone fruits. I would treat the pears the same as the apples when it comes to this recipe.
Is it possible to leave 1 or 2 weekends unflipped? Just to make sure it will not ruin the liquor if I run off to the beach for two days.
I look forward to making it!
Possibly – I have never tried leaving it for that long.
Do you use fresh fruit or frozen?
I prefer fresh but either will work.
Can l sell them as of my local product?
You need to check with your local state authorties. You aren’t “producing” new alcohol, but I’m sure there are regulations as to who can sell alcohol – you might need a liquor license if you don’t already have one since it is not beer or wine. I can’t give legal advice when it comes to this. This recipe is intended for personal use and consumption.
how much sugar do you add ?
Looks like you skipped the full printable recipe, which is at the bottom of the post – directly above the comments section. You can easily get to it with one click – just hit the jump to recipe button found at the top of the page.
What do you mean by 1-2 pints per flavor? Don’t I use a quart jar?
2 pint jar – per flavor. 2 pints = 1 quart. So it’s the same as a 1 quart jar per flavor.
I’m using cherries. So all I need to do is stem and remove pits?
Yes, I would remove the stem. You don’t necessarily need to remove the pits – you can do that when you strain it all out later once they have soaked.
Do you peel mandarins to use them
Yes, you probabaly should. Although, I have not made this with citrus before.
I love this idea, but you said to “flip” are you literally saying to turn the jars upside down? And if I’m making infused brandy doesn’t it make sense to use a brandy instead of the vodka? Thanks
Yes. Turn the jars upside down then right side up. The term is sipping brandies – it can be made from whatever hard spirits you like.
Hi! I’m going to make this tomorrow. Just wondering how long the finished product will last after it’s been transferred to the final bottle. Thanks 😊
Once you drain it – it is basically infused alcohol. So it will last quite a long time if kept in a cool, dark enviornment. Store it just as you would your other spirits.
I made strawberry and blueberry brandy’s. The strawberry one was almost syrupy (I added a bit more sugar), smelled strongly of strawberries, milder taste, and amazing on ice cream. The blueberry had a much lighter scent, stronger blueberry flavour, and nicer as a stand alone drink.
Absolutely recommend! Friends are asking for more. Thanks very much!