My cranberry/orange/cinnamon liqueur is steeping - finally!

I used my food processor for the first time to chop up the cranberries. That was fun ... the processor was my dad's old one that he gave to me - without the instruction booklet!

I'm literally counting the days until the concoction is ready to have sugar added and 'mellow' into something drinkable - definitely by Thanksgiving.

Thank you to Deborah and Maureen for helping me make this happen.

Cool, Colleen. I hope it is scrumptious! By the way, thanks for sending me the article with Alessandra in it. It was fun to read!

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
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www.petsburg.com

Oooh, Karin...pepper sounds very intriguing. I've never used pepper before so can't give you any advice.
I've had a couple of others tell me they didn't want the cinnamon/clove in theirs either. They made a simple cranberry/orange and said it was very good, although lacked any complexity.

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

OK- so I haven't gotten any advice yet, but Deborah's encouragement is enough for me. I have some dried ginger and star anise (left over from when I used to mix my own chai, because I find the chai you buy in the stores here to be overly cinnamon-y and clove-y!). And pepper of course.

And I just picked up some 100proof vodka. I know there was a question about this stuff's availability a bit back on this thread, but the Smirnoff BLUE label is 100proof, if anyone is looking. I actually asked for Everclear at the store, and they revealed that here in Massachusetts, it is ILLEGAL to sell the stuff! One has to trek to New Hampshire! @#$%^ blue laws. So the blue label Smirnoff will have to do.

I'll take a look at a few recipes for fruit relishes and such that have pepper in them, try to figure out some amount, and then I'm putting it all together!

Also, ANOTHER question. Dean mentioned a while back:

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FOr a treat on limoncello, arancino or any other citrus flavored vodka, after the first steeping period (I have heard anwhere from a week to 4 weeks), fill a second bottle with the peel and strain the already infused vodka onto the fresh peelings.

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Does this mean a second steeping period, or does one add the peel to the bottle into which you add the sweetened/filtered liquour?

Thanks all!

Karin

Travel Adventures in Italy, Tahiti, and more

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My cranberry/orange/cinnamon liqueur is steeping - finally!

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Me too! And my limoncello! Many thanks to you all for your help. I came "this close" to getting the Everclear when I went to the liquor store, but then chickened out when I saw all the warnings on the label-"highly flammable", "keep away from open flame" and "190 proof"! Yikes. I settled for the vodka, which I found out they do have the 100 proof vodka, you just have to know where to look for it. Maybe next time I'll psych myself up for it and get the grain alcohol. Maybe.

Can't wait to taste the cranberry one, right around Thanksgiving.

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Originally posted by valerie:

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My cranberry/orange/cinnamon liqueur is steeping - finally!

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Me too!

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And now me! I made 3 batches, with varying ratios of ginger, pepper, star anise, clove and cinnamon. The quantities themselves are pretty small- I don't want it to taste of cranberries and orange, not spice. But it should be interesting! Carting them down to the basement now...

Karin

Travel Adventures in Italy, Tahiti, and more

This is so fun to see how all of you are starting your cranberry/orange. Can't wait to hear the results. Hope you are dancing and not stumbling after you enjoy yours.
By the way, if any of you want to send a sample...

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

[This message was edited by Livinwell on 22 October 2003 at 10:52 AM.]

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*Should be drinkable in just a few days, but the longer you let it sit the more mellow it becomes.

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All right, I'm curious about how much longer it needs to sit to mellow? 'Til -day?

I'm going to strain my potions this weekend (yes, it's only been 3 weeks, but I'll be out of town all next week), add the sugar and rebottle.

If I wanted to share some with friends the following weekend ... would it actually be drinkable? Or more likely to singe their throats and cause coughing fits? (My friends are tough, but perhaps not that tough!) Thanks!

Colleen, I've never served mine that quickly. But that doesn't mean anything.
I'm thinking that since it is Cranberry it may act very much like Limoncello. It may just have a bright fresh taste to it while it is still young.
That wouldn't be a bad thing.

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

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Originally posted by Livinwell:
Colleen, I've never served mine that quickly. But that doesn't mean anything.
I'm thinking that since it is Cranberry it may act very much like Limoncello. It may just have a bright fresh taste to it while it is still young.
That wouldn't be a bad thing.

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Interesting- by my calculations, if I give mine a full 4 weeks of steeping, I'll have them in bottles only a week and a half before Thanksgiving. I'll be hoping for the "bright fresh" effect, I guess!

I thought I would have a little tasting of my 3 variants on Thanksgiving Day. If they're too harsh served neat to really settle in with, I thought I might mix up some cocktails with the stuff.

I'd love to hear some ideas for cocktails!

Karin

Travel Adventures in Italy, Tahiti, and more

Karin,
Are you looking for 'real' cocktails (I think a Cosmopolitan is a natural!) or more for specialty drinks?

HERE is a link to a discussion on limoncello cocktails - maybe you'll find some you think will go well with the cranberry liqueur.

I use to have a contact where I could get analytical grade ethyl alcohol BEFORE they denatured it and use it instead of pure grain alcohol--OH so smooth! It was so hydroscopic that if you removed the cap and let it sit for a few minutes it would start to overflow. But I use to only age my stuff 2 weeks and it really pulled the color from the skins.

http://www.breedoni.blogspot.com

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Originally posted by Colleen:
My cranberry/orange/cinnamon liqueur is steeping - finally!

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Colleen and Shannon are in Santa Fe this weekend!! We are heading over to their vacation rental (a cute little house in the center of town) tonight for a dinner that they are probably cooking now. Colleen brought her bottle of liqueur with her - so I guess we are trying it tonight! In case it didn't work out, I am bringing a bottle of limoncello that I got in Levanto in September. It is chilling right now.

Pauline from Slow Travelers

Salute a tutti! Buona cena!

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Originally posted by Pauline:
Colleen brought her bottle of liqueur with her - so I guess we are trying it tonight!

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So, Pauline.... how was it?

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

Deborah,
You have to ask??

It was great! I liked it best with a bit of sparkling water, but it was fine straight up, too. Shannon's mom really liked it, so she went home with the rest of the bottle.

Colleen is being modest. The liqueur was not just great, it was wonderful and enjoyed by everyone. So was Pauline's limoncello! Nothin' like sitting around drinking liqueurs with your homies! (That one's for you, Deborah.)

Shannon
www.chowbellabooks.com

WONDERFUL! I'm glad it worked out. Now tell me what you want to tackle next. I've got about 80 recipies. I've only tried about 30 of them so far.

Which reminds me, Shannon...I think chowbellabooks needs to publish a recipe book on liqueurs.
You can travel all over rural Italy to charm people out of there old secret recipies. Then you try them all. The ones that turn out right you bottle in fantastic looking bottles, and do glamour shot photos of them served in unusual liqueur glasses.

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

Hi all! I successfully bottled up my 3 different orange-cranberry concoctions a couple of days ago. They definitely tasted a tad on the harsh side when I took a sip then- but they were indeed tasty! I think the spices I added definitely complement the liqueur, though one batch seems perhaps a tad "over-gingered". I'll be doing the official testing on Thanksgiving Day, with family, and we'll come up with a verdict then...

...that is, if I still have enough left to go around! My husband's appreciation both for things alcoholic and things sweet have created a synergistic compulsion in him to "test" the stuff constantly. He sips, he pours over ice cream, what have you. I try to tell him to let it mellow, but it does no good!

I'll keep you posted on the taste test results, even if the only one capable of reporting ends up being hubby.

Karin

Travel Adventures in Italy, Tahiti, and more

Karin,
I'm really curious about your batch of liqueur with pepper. The cinnamon is a nice addition (and fitting for the holidays) but I expect the pepper potion must be a bit more complex. Looking forward to reading your taste test reviews.

(LOVE the idea of the liqueur over ice cream! The bright red color is a bit OTT for me for straight up sipping, but it would be lovely drizzled over vanilla ice cream ... )

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Originally posted by Colleen:
The bright red color is a bit OTT for me

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Colleen, I make a rose liqueur for summertime. Everyone who is exposed to it for the first time looks so shocked when they see it in their glass. It is a bright, almost iridescent hot pink color in the glass. It smells exactly like a bouquet of roses.
(It is also the easiest one I make.) I use Safar Rose Syrup, mix the syrup right out of the bottle with high proof vodka, bottle it, let it sit a week or two, and it is ready to serve.
By the way, Rose Liqueur over limone sorbetto is WONDERFUL!

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

Deborah!
You're going to create liqueur making addicts out of us all! Oh, that Rose Liqueur sounds wonderful. I just might have to try that one next. (Did you post once before about where to find the Safar syrup? Sorry, but would you please post details again? Thanks! )

Do you know, I never did find rose flavored gelato in Italy ... I guess I have to go back and search again!

Colleen, I buy mine here in St. Louis at a store called Global Foods. It is looks like a regular full sized supermarket, but over each aisle hangs the flag of a different country. It's a place where I can spend a full day just window shopping! Nothing like perusing the freezer case and trying to figure out what you would do with the cottage cheese style container of cow bile. In the fresh produce section there are at least 20 varieties of cucumber alone. And every country aisle has a shelf full of teas from that country.
Anyway, Global Foods is a local thing and not part of a chain.
Sadaf has a web site www.sadaf.com. But I just looked at their section for pastes and syrups and they don't carry the rose online. Although the Quince-Lemon looks intriguing.
My best suggestion is to find a middle eastern market near you and see if they have it.

Deborah Horn

In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there.
-----------------------------------
www.petsburg.com

Deborah!!!
I SOOOO thought of you and Janice, bagspacked, when i was in C di C last month.

All the talk about homemeade liquors had me primed, for in the market there was a book in Italian on making liquors. It looked pretty interesting and I'd be happy to help with translations, need be. Check it out when you are there in the spring. he was back by the Church in that little piazza.
Pat