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Fruit liqueurs
It is easy to make liqueurs from all kind of fruits. You will find below a general recipe that is use for apricots, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, nectarines, peaches, plums and raspberries; of course there are also other ways for preparing fruit liqueurs. However, this general recipe gives always good results (at least this is what we believe).
Liqueurs can also be made with fruit juices, alcohol and sugar and these are called "Ratafias". The fruit that you used for liqueur making can be consumed as deserts, mixed with sugar or with ice-cream.
If you do not want to use fruit because the process appears too complicated, you can also buy excellent liqueur essences for an easier preparation.
Here are some of the most well-known commercial fruit and berry liqueurs: Cointreau, Curacao and Grand Marnier (all made of oranges), Cherry Heering (cherries), Creme de Cassis, Liqueur de Fraises (strawberries) and Liqueur de Framboise (raspberries).
How to store liqueurs
Flavor of almost all liqueurs improves during storage. Older they are, maximum taste you get. For example, fruit and berry liqueurs should be stored for at least 6 months to get a full flavor taste, while some lemon liqueurs (e.g. Limoncello) should not be stored for a long time.
Liqueur sugar content
Liqueurs should contain approximately 1 cup sugar per 3 cups finished liqueur (300-350 g sugar per liter). If your liqueur is too sweet, add a mixture of vodka and water (1:1).
Less sweetness during storage
Sugar must sometimes be added to homemade liqueurs after storage for some months because in time, it is converted to glucose and fructose (simple sugar types with less sweet flavor).
Liqueur alcohol content
It should normally be 20-30% for fruit and berry liqueurs, except for citrus liqueurs which might have higher alcohol content. If your liqueur has too strong alcohol taste, add some water or fruit juice and sugar. If your liqueur has too low alcohol content, add vodka and sugar.
Fruit mixtures liqueurs
Do not mix more than two types of fruits or berries in liqueurs because you might end up with a sweet-sour drink with no interesting flavor. You can make successful mixtures of bitter berries with mild ones, like blueberries and cranberries.
[Author]
Alexandra Popa