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Don’t let the berry go to waste. How will we insist the collected berries to get awesome drinks?
In my family, tinctures are prepared every summer. I remember how, as a boy, I was harvesting in the village, while my grandmother was fussing in the kitchen, and then the aroma of berries lingered up to the next street.
Already salivating! As a child, I did not understand where the harvest I got was going, but when I grew up I learned the secrets of home cooking.
Today I am sharing some of my favorite recipes. Every time I make them myself, I feel like I’m becoming a child again, but the taste is … pure summer in bottles, friends!
The story was sent by my subscriber Stanislav.
Creating a tincture: what you need to know and consider
I believe that only those drinks with an alcohol content of 40-60% should be called liquor.
Lots of drink recipes. They are often passed down from generation to generation, as was the case in my family.
Each tincture produced will be different from the rest, especially if you buy berries. The taste of the liqueur may turn out to be more sour or dark, which is understandable – different varieties and ripening conditions.
However, for most tinctures, especially berry ones, a few general rules apply. The jar is filled with fruits up to 3/4 of the height and alcohol is poured.
The time of soaking (“processing”) of the fruit varies depending on the species, usually taking from 2 to 6 weeks. The resulting solution is then filtered, sugar is added. Finally, after a few weeks, everything is filtered out again for the last time.
Attention! The filtration of tinctures takes place immediately before the finished drink is bottled.
When filtering a tincture, I usually use:
- coffee filters;
- pharmaceutical gauze;
- piece of clean cloth.
Raspberry, blackberry and cherry tinctures
The ingredients for cherry liqueur available are:
- Cherry, 5 cups – about 600 g;
- Food sugar, 2 cups – 1 kg;
- Strong alcohol, for example, vodka – 1 liter.
I have my own cherry, 1 kg of sugar – 27 rubles, vodka – 700 rubles. Total 727 rubles, but if you take alcohol at a discount, it will come out much cheaper.
Important! I do not advise saving on alcohol if you want the liquor to be really successful.
First, I wash the cherries, take out the seeds and put the resulting clean pulp in a jar. Then I pour strong alcohol, for example, vodka, and then I wait five days, leaving the jar in a dark place.
After that, the liquid from the jar must be drained into a separate container and left in the same way, and the cherries should be placed back and sprinkled with sugar. They should stay for about two weeks.
Tip: Shake or invert the jar daily to mix the ingredients.
When the sugar is completely dissolved, strain the berries again. Thoroughly mix the resulting liquid with the previously poured alcohol. Pour the drink into bottles and enjoy the tart taste with a little sourness (although a lot will depend on the type of cherry).
Tip: Cherries left over from the tincture are perfect for desserts.
I also have a blackberry bush. The berry is not too sweet, but everyone’s favorite, so I adapted to make a liqueur from it. For this I take:
- 1 kg blackberries
- 1 kg of sugar
- Xnum l alcohol
Blackberries can be found from 250 rubles, alcohol – from 80, plus sugar – 27 rubles. Total – 357. But if the berry is your own, then the drink will come out very inexpensive.
Crush blackberries, add sugar. Cover and leave for two days in a warm place. After that, pour in a liter of alcohol. Leave for 7 days, then bottle. It turns out a dark amber drink with a very rich taste.
The same recipe is perfect for raspberries. You can experiment by changing the way you make cherry cordial and blackberry cordial, so you will quickly find out what suits your taste.
Gooseberry and currant tinctures
For currant liqueur I take:
- 1 kg currant
- 500 ml 96% alcohol
- 500 ml 40% vodka
- 1/2 kg of sugar or honey
- vanilla stick
Berry, vodka and alcohol – about 400 rubles, sugar – 27, vanilla – 210 rubles. Total – 637.
I grind currants and add sugar. I leave it in a warm place for 2-3 days. Then I pour alcohol and vodka, add vanilla. I give it 3 weeks to rest.
Tip: As in the recipe with cherry liqueur, you need to shake the jar during infusion.
Then I filter through a sieve, then through coffee filters. A month and you’re done. Vanilla can be omitted, but I like it better.
I also cook gooseberry tincture, although I discovered it recently. I take:
- 1 kg gooseberries
- 0,5 kg of sugar
- 250 ml of alcohol
- 250 ml of vodka
Berries from the site, sugar comes out about 14 rubles, alcohol and vodka – 200. Pretty budget.
I cook berries with sugar. After boiling, I wait until they cool down. I add alcohol and insist for a month. Then I add vodka.
Blueberry and blueberry tinctures
I use one recipe for two berries, so only the fruits will change in the ingredients. Would need:
- 1 kg blueberries or blueberries
- Xnum l alcohol
- 0,5 l of vodka
- 1 kg honey
Blueberries – about 350 rubles, alcohol and vodka – 400, took honey for 200 rubles. Total 950 rubles.
Grind the berries and pour 0,5 liters of alcohol and 0,5 liters of vodka. Let stand for a month and drain the liquid into a separate container. Then cover the remaining berries with a kilogram of honey and set aside for 2 weeks.
Then mix the contents of both containers and bottle. You will get a fragrant and sweetish drink with a honey flavor.
Have you tried any tinctures? Which ones do you love the most? Share your recipes!