Contents
Fans of mint liqueur, first of all, appreciate this very specific drink for the illusion of freshness and coolness it creates in the summer heat.
They also make mint: tincture, syrup
Tips before starting
It is best to use Peppermint or Garden (Spearmint) mint.
The roots and stems of the plant are bitter, so do not use these parts.
If you want to keep the drink from turning from green to brown for as long as possible, keep it in dark glass bottles.
Collect fresh mint during the flowering period away from the roads, in ecologically clean places.
Classic mint liqueur
Ingredients
Chopped fresh peppermint leaves – 2-4 tbsp. spoons
Sugars – 200 g
Water – 250 ml
Vodka – 750 ml
Method of preparation
Rinse and dry the tops of mint, collected before flowering, tear off the leaves and cut into pieces.
Place the chopped leaves in a bottle of vodka, seal tightly and leave to infuse in the light.
Shake the contents of the bottle from time to time.
After 3 weeks, prepare sugar syrup.
Then, strain the mint tincture through cheesecloth in 4-5 layers and lightly squeeze the leaves.
Combine the strained tincture with syrup, bottle and cork. Store liquor in a horizontal position in a dark place.
Plain mint liqueur
If you want to prepare an unpretentious cooling drink that slightly resembles toothpaste in taste, this recipe is indispensable. At the same time, instead of the proposed amount of sugar, you can use 200-250 g of honey.
Ingredients
Fresh mint – 6 sprigs
Vodka or 45-degree alcohol – 1 l
Water – 250 ml
Sugars – 350 g
Method of preparation
Prepared leaves and inflorescences put in a jar and pour alcohol.
Keep a tightly closed container for 2 weeks in a warm, dark place, shaking it vigorously every 3-4 days.
After the specified period, cook a simple syrup. When using honey, the water should not be boiled; instead, it is necessary to stir the honey so vigorously that it dissolves before the temperature of the liquid reaches 40 degrees.
While the syrup cools to room temperature, strain the alcohol infusion and lightly squeeze the vegetable cake into it.
Thoroughly mix the cooled syrup with alcohol, pour the drink into bottles and seal them tightly.
Send the liquor for 20 days to the cellar or refrigerator, after which – to taste.
Mint lemon liqueur
As you know, mint and lemon are just made for each other.
Ingredients
Fresh mint leaves (preferably peppermint) – 100 g
45 degree alcohol – 500 ml
Water – 500 ml
Sugar – 400-500 g
Lemons – 3 pcs
Method of preparation
Transfer the lightly crushed leaves to a jar.
Remove the skin from the lemon, separate the yellow zest from it, and discard the white zest.
Cut the lemon pulp into small pieces and, together with the zest, add to the jar of leaves.
Keep a tightly closed container for 5 days in a warm, dark room.
After the specified period, boil a simple syrup from sugar and water.
While the syrup cools to room temperature, filter the alcohol through a thick gauze and squeeze the cake into it.
Add syrup to the resulting liquid, mix, close the lid again and return for another week in a dark, warm place.
Then, strain the drink again and bottle.
Store liquor in a cellar or cold store. At the same time, it is advisable to give him a couple more weeks to fine-tune.
Mint ratafia liqueur
Ratafia is not so much a drink as a separate category of especially strong alcohol, which, among other things, includes some liqueurs.
Ingredients
Dried mint – 40 g
45 degree alcohol – 1 l
Water – 200 ml
Sugars – 200 g
Method of preparation
Put the mint in a jar, fill it with alcohol and close tightly.
Leave the container for a week in a dark, warm place.
Filter the liquid.
Make a simple syrup. If you are confused by the classic 70-degree strength of the finished ratafia, the amount of water and sugar can be increased (the maximum allowable proportions: 1 kg of sugar and 1,25 liters of water per 1 liter of alcohol). At the same time, one should be aware that the result will no longer be ratafia, but an ordinary liquor with a bias towards spotykach.
As soon as the water with sugar boils, remove the foam from it and pour in the alcohol in a thin stream, constantly stirring the substance.
Cool the result, filter and pour into a clean jar.
Determine a tightly closed vessel for another week in a cool dark place.
Then, if desired, strain the drink again and bottle.
Store liquor in a cool dark place. Start active tasting after 3-4 weeks.
Menthol liqueur
This recipe will delight fans of vigorous menthol candies. The main condition is the presence of a moonshine still in the house. For acute intolerance to cumin, the latter can be replaced with dried zest cut from ¼ orange and ¼ lime.
Ingredients
Dried Peppermint Leaves – 50g
Vodka or 45-degree alcohol – 500 ml
Water for infusion – 150 ml
Water for distillation – 1 l
Sugars – 300 g
Cumin – 10 g
Method of preparation
Dried leaves, cumin / zest, alcohol and 150 ml of unboiled water are placed in a jar.
Leave a tightly closed container for a week in a warm, dark place.
Then, carefully strain the liquid and squeeze the cake into it, after which, the latter can be thrown away.
Pour 50 ml of the resulting tincture into a small glass vessel, close it with a lid and place in a dark place.
Mix the main part of mint alcohol with unboiled water in a ratio of 1:1.
Overtake the result by selecting 30 ml of “heads” and 600 ml of “body”. The remaining raw material can be distilled into a clean vessel in 50 ml portions and added to the main fraction. As soon as the distilled liquid begins to exude an unpleasant odor, it should be discarded in the “tails”.
Add 150-200 ml of unboiled water to the resulting distillate.
In a small saucepan, boil saturated syrup from 100 ml of water and 300 g of sugar. Add sugar to water in small portions. Each next portion should fall into the saucepan after the previous one is completely dissolved. If foam appears during the process, it must be removed.
Add 150 ml of the resulting syrup to the distillate. The rest of the sugar solution can be used for some other purposes (preparing 150 ml of syrup from sugar and water in a 3: 1 ratio seems to us a difficult task; if you think otherwise, you can try and share your experience with us).
Tint the finished liquor by adding 50 ml of tincture previously set aside to it.
Bottle the drink, cork it carefully and store it in a cellar or refrigerator. Serve no earlier than 2 weeks after bottling.
Relevance: 30.06.2018
Tags: Liqueurs, Pourings, Liqueurs, Recipes of liqueurs