Homemade prune liqueur is remembered for its mild, slightly smoked taste and pleasant plum aroma with hints of citrus, mint and cinnamon. It is easy to drink even despite the relatively high strength (about 30%).
You can use both homemade and purchased prunes. In the second case, choose soft, fleshy (not overdried) and slightly shiny fruits with a persistent aroma. Vodka, well-cleaned moonshine (odorless), diluted to 40-45% ethyl alcohol or cognac are suitable as an alcohol base.
Pitted prunes add a slight almond flavor to the liquor due to hydrocyanic acid and cyanide. Due to the correct exposure time, the drink will not cause harm to health. If you doubt the safety or do not like the taste of almonds, insist on seedless fruits.
Ingredients:
- vodka (alcohol, moonshine) – 1 liter;
- prunes – 200 grams;
- orange peel – from one fruit;
- lemon zest – from half the fruit;
- dried mint (leaves) – 1 handful;
- cinnamon sticks – 3-4 cm;
- sugar (honey) – 100-250 grams (to taste);
- water – 150 ml.
Liquid flower or buckwheat honey perfectly complements the mint-citrus aroma.
Prune liqueur recipe
1. Scald lemon and oranges with boiling water, rinse in running water and wipe dry to get rid of the preservative. Remove the zest from the fruit – the upper part of the peel without white, a slide of pulp.
2. Put the washed prunes into a glass container for infusion. Add zest, mint and cinnamon.
3. Pour in vodka or other alcohol base. Close hermetically. Insist 18 days in a dark place at room temperature. Shake once a day.
Attention! If the prunes are with pits, you can’t infuse the drink for longer than 20 days, otherwise the concentration of harmful substances will increase dramatically.
4. Strain the resulting infusion through gauze or a sieve. Remove the cinnamon, squeeze the rest of the pulp well.
5. Mix sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil for 4-5 minutes over low heat, removing the foam. Cool to room temperature.
In the case of honey, heat the syrup to 40°C (to preserve the beneficial properties) and stir until the honey is completely dissolved in water.
6. Mix prunes infusion and cold syrup. The liqueur can be further sweetened to taste.
7. Pour the drink into bottles for storage, close. Before tasting, leave for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
When turbidity or sediment appears (do not affect the taste), filter through cotton wool.
Away from direct sunlight, the shelf life of prune liqueur is up to 2 years. Fortress – 28-32%.
