NGS70.RU shares four simple homemade liqueur recipes for New Year's

If you«ve always wanted to try making liqueurs but were afraid it was complicated, we»ll try to convince you otherwise with our own example. Here«s a step-by-step recipe for sweet banana cream liqueur, Italian limoncello, as well as sea buckthorn and pear infusions from NGS70.RU.

Banana Liqueur

Ingredients:

• bananas — three;

• vodka — 500 milliliters;

• cream — 250 milliliters;

• milk — 250 milliliters;

• sugar — 150 grams;

• turmeric (for color).

First, slice the bananas into rounds and transfer them to a jar.

The jar«s volume should be such that you can easily pour 500 milliliters of vodka over the bananas. In our case, it was a three-liter jar.

After that, tightly close the jar with a lid and place it in a dark, dry place for a week. About once a day, take the jar out and gently turn it over several times so the ingredients mix better.

After seven days, transfer the contents of the jar to a sieve and strain. We advise choosing a sieve with large holes. The banana pulp won«t fall through, and the liquid will drain faster.

To prepare the cream base, mix 250 milliliters of milk and cream in a saucepan, add 150 grams of sugar, and set it over low heat. Heat the liquid until all the sugar is completely dissolved.

If you don«t like the white liqueur, you can add a bit of turmeric to the saucepan for brightness. But be careful because the spice has a strong flavor. It»s best to add it at the very end, when the sugar has fully dissolved.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, let the liquid cool slightly, and mix it with the «banana infusion» from the jar. Gently stir, pour into a beautiful bottle, and let the liqueur rest in the refrigerator for another day.

The shelf life of any cream-based liqueur is short — about a week — so we advise not to delay drinking it.

Limoncello

Ingredients:

• lemons — ten;

• vodka — 500 milliliters;

• water — 250 milliliters;

• sugar — 200 grams.

Wash the lemons well, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest (without the white part).

Transfer the lemon zest to a jar and pour 500 milliliters of vodka over it. Tightly close the container with a lid and let it infuse for a week in a dark place.

As with the banana liqueur, we recommend taking the jar out once a day and gently mixing its contents.

From the remaining «undressed» 10 lemons, squeeze out the juice. Also pour it into a jar and let it rest in the refrigerator for a week.

After seven days, take out the infused zest, strain it through a sieve, and set aside. Start preparing the sugar syrup.

In a saucepan, put 200 grams of sugar and pour in 200 milliliters of water. Bring to a boil, cool, and only then combine with the lemon juice and the strained «lemon infusion» from the jar.

In the end, we get a citrusy, boozy sweet drink that can be enjoyed at the festive table or given as an unconventional gift.

We«ve already made the banana cream liqueur and limoncello (and even tasted them), but the sea buckthorn and pear infusions are still infusing in the cupboard. However, we can»t not share their recipes with you.

Sea Buckthorn Infusion

Ingredients:

• vodka — 500 milliliters;

• sea buckthorn — 300 grams;

• oranges — two;

• sugar — 100 grams;

• honey — 100 grams;

• cinnamon — one stick.

In a jar, put 300 grams of thawed sea buckthorn and mash it so the berries release their juice.

In the same jar, add the zest peeled from two oranges (without the white part) and the orange flesh. It«s also advised to mash it a bit to release more juice.

To the orange base, add 100 grams of sugar, 100 grams of honey, and a cinnamon stick. Pour 500 milliliters of vodka into the jar, tightly close with a lid, and let it infuse in a dark place for a week. Once a day, gently mix the contents of the jar.

Nothing needs to be cooked here, so after seven days, strain the contents of the jar, pour it into a bottle, and let it infuse in the refrigerator for a day.

Pear Infusion

Ingredients:

• pears — two;

• vodka — 500 milliliters;

• honey — 100 grams;

• cinnamon — one stick;

• cloves — several buds (we couldn«t find it at the local store, so we replaced cinnamon and cloves in this recipe with dry mulled wine mix).

Cut the pears with the skin into arbitrary pieces and put them in a jar. Also add 100 grams of honey, a cinnamon stick, and cloves (or mulled wine mix). Then pour vodka over it and put it in the cupboard for a week. Don«t forget to mix once a day!

After a week, strain, pour into a bottle, and let it infuse in the refrigerator for a day.