Homemade cranberry liqueur – 4 simple recipes for vodka and alcohol

Cranberries, without exaggeration, are a treasure trove of health. Enumeration of its useful properties will take a whole doctoral dissertation. To what extent these useful properties are preserved in alcoholic beverages, I cannot say – it is not in my competence. But in mine I will give you some proven cranberry liqueur recipes, and then you will somehow do it yourself.

If you have made cranberry tincture using one of these recipes, then you should know how great this drink is. Didn’t prepare? Trust me, he’s great. So, liqueurs are no worse. These are sweet and sour, viscous, beautiful and very fragrant digestifs. Preparing them is not at all difficult, but it requires a considerable exposure, because, like all drinks in this category, cranberry liqueurs require long maceration and even longer exposure.

A few dry facts about a non-dry drink. For cranberry liqueurs, it is best to use alcohol diluted to 70% – there is an opinion, repeatedly tested in practice, that it is this strength of alcohol that contributes to a better extraction of flavoring substances from berries, fruits and spices. Vodka is suitable, but the maceration time (soaking the drink components in alcohol) should be increased. The result is very interesting with gin, which does not interrupt the taste of the berry and brings an interesting taste.

Cranberries have the highest antioxidant content of any other fruit and berry (22 ORAC – an indicator of the ability of antioxidants to scavenge free radicals).

Cranberries have a bright taste and aroma, but other ingredients make it possible to round out the taste of the drink, emphasize the merits of the berry and smooth out its shortcomings. Most recipes use fragrant honey as a natural sweetener. Cranberries harmonize with vanilla, cinnamon (one stick per 1 liter), allspice (1/8 tsp ground pepper per 1 liter), ginger root (1-2 tsp per 1 liter), galangal root (per your taste) and other interesting additives. There is room for imagination and experimentation. Imagine and experiment!

Recipe for cranberry liqueur on alcohol No. 1

If cranberries are fresh, put them in the freezer for 2-3 days to remove excess bitterness. Defrost the berry and crush it with a crush (you can grind it in a blender or through a meat grinder). Add a vanilla pod (or vanilla extract – 1 tsp, or vanilla sugar – 10-15 g) and pour 70% alcohol. You need to insist cranberries in a dark, cool place for at least 2 weeks, shaking occasionally. Then filter the infusion through a cotton, coffee or any other dense filter. Dissolve sugar and honey in a minimum amount of warm water, let the syrup settle, filter it and mix with the infusion. Wait 2 weeks again, filter and bottle. For best results, cranberry liqueur should be aged for 2-3 months.

Recipe for cranberry liqueur on alcohol No. 2

Sort the berries, put in the freezer for 2-3 days. Then defrost and crush with a crush or chop in a blender. Transfer the crushed cranberries to a large jar and sprinkle with sugar. Wait 24 hours for the berry to give juice and the sugar to dissolve. Pour alcohol and vodka, mix well and leave in a dark, cool place for a month. After four weeks, drain the liquor from the sediment, strain through a sieve, then through several layers of gauze, and then through a cotton or coffee filter. Pour the drink into bottles and stand for at least 3 months. If it seems very strong – dilute.

Recipe for cranberry vodka with raspberries

Freeze cranberries for 2-3 days in the freezer before use. Rinse, put in a jar of a suitable volume, crush and pour vodka or moonshine. Insist in a dark, cool place for 4 weeks, remembering to shake the jar every day. Then, without draining the infusion, add honey and raspberry juice. Leave for 4 more weeks. Drain the finished liquor, filter through any dense filter and bottle. To withstand from 2-3 months, periodically removing from the sediment until the liquor is completely clarified. Part of the berries left from the preparation of the drink can be used to decorate the liquor during the tasting.

Cranberry liqueur with alcohol and plum brandy (medicinal)

Freeze the berry in the freezer, let it thaw. Pour into a jar of a suitable volume and pour alcohol with 250-300 ml of water. Forget the jar for three weeks in a dark, cool place, periodically remembering to shake it. Then dissolve sugar and honey in the rest of warm water and add the resulting syrup to the infusion. Add home-made plum brandy there and forget about pouring for 3 months, or better for half a year for complete maceration. Then strain the delicious liquor through a thick cloth, ideally muslin, and bottle the drink. Drink in small amounts to improve blood circulation, for headaches and colds.

To maximize the benefits of cranberries, it is recommended to consume 300 ml of cranberry drink per day (with a minimum of 27% juice), 29 g of fresh or frozen cranberries, or 27 g of sweet dried cranberries.