Pouring red mountain ash at home – 5 recipes

A folk sign says: there are a lot of mountain ash in the forest – by a rainy autumn. The autumn of 2016 turned out to be really rainy, and it was not difficult to predict such weather. Rowan branches are bursting with heavy red fruits. A lot of mountain ash – rainy autumn, and even delicious drinks at home, among which liqueurs are not the last.

I have already told you how to make tinctures and wine from red rowan. In those articles you can find almost all the information you need on this raw material, including the beneficial properties of the plant and some tricks for preparing fruits. You will also learn a lot of interesting things from Don Pomazan’s article with recipes for red rowan liqueurs. By the way, it describes a unique recipe that was randomly used by Vitaly. The result was a delicious drink, one of the best that he, and I, prepared at home.

Red ashberry liqueurs are also prepared at home. It turns out a very high-quality product that has no analogues, neither in taste nor in smell. As before, it is very important to properly prepare the fruits, and everything else is done by time and a good alcohol base, which proved to be equally good for vodka, alcohol, good moonshine, and cognac. True, it is easier to make such liquors with alcohol and the time of infusion can be reduced.

But the aging time, unfortunately, cannot be reduced – the liqueur gains taste for at least six months, but the entire flavor range appears only after a year. Over time, the not very pleasant bitterness of mountain ash, which is almost impossible to completely get rid of, turns into a pleasant astringency, gently spreading across the palate.

As for the preparation of rowan fruits, then everything is simple. Of course, they need to be collected after the first frost – freezing leads to the destruction of the bitter sorbic acid glycoside and the bitterness goes away. If this is not possible, just place the fruits in the freezer for one night. After defrosting, the fruits must be processed within a week, otherwise they may disappear. After freezing, it is advisable to rinse the mountain ash with warm water or even pour boiling water over it. This will remove bitterness even more effectively, and the fruits will burst from the temperature drop, which is good, because the bursting berry gives off taste and aroma faster.

I have several recipes. Choose according to your taste and don’t forget that the best homemade drinks are the drinks obtained as a result of a successful experiment, and sometimes not very successful. So good luck and bad luck!

A simple liqueur of red rowan on vodka

Collect rowan after the first frost or leave overnight in the freezer. Let the fruits thaw, remove the branches, dry. Spread the prepared mountain ash on a baking sheet with parchment and send it to the oven, heated to 180 degrees, for 15-20 minutes, so that the fruits release juice and shrink slightly. After that, transfer the mountain ash to a jar of a suitable volume, sprinkle with sugar to taste (start with a minimum amount of 150 grams, the liqueur can always be sweetened after infusion) and pour vodka. Infuse in a dark, warm place for at least eight weeks. Strain the liqueur through several layers of gauze, squeeze the fruits slightly. Bottle the drink and age for at least six months.

Rowan liqueur with lemon

We take rowan after the first frost or leave it overnight in the freezer. After thawing, pour the fruits with boiling water, and then rinse under running warm water. Pour the fruits into a jar of a suitable volume, add the zest of half a lemon and juice, and then pour everything with a mixture of alcohol and water so that it covers the mountain ash completely. We leave a tightly closed jar in a warm, dark place for one month.

Drain the infusion through a sieve, and sprinkle the rowan fruits with sugar to taste. We wait another 5 days until the sugar turns into syrup and absorbs the remaining alcohol. Drain the syrup, mix it with the infusion, filter and leave the liquor in a cool place to age. Usually the drink gains a pleasant taste and aroma within a year, but it becomes ideal only after two or three years, so be patient.

Homemade rowan liqueur with prunes

The addition of prunes produces a drink with a slight smoky aroma and flavor that makes the pour more interesting (Scotch whiskey lovers will understand). If you like prunes, then be sure to try tinctures with it, you will find recipes in this article. Part of the vodka in this recipe can be replaced with a small amount of alcohol, but in the end, with vodka, you get a drink of optimal strength, in the region of 20-30%.

Freeze the rowan, let it thaw and rinse under warm water. Make a thick syrup from sugar and water. Transfer the rowan fruits to a jar of a suitable volume, add prunes and immediately pour boiling syrup over. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and add vodka. Close the jar tightly and leave in a dark, warm place for at least 8 weeks. Then drain the infusion through several layers of gauze, gently squeeze out the mountain ash with prunes, filter the drink and bottle it. The finished liquor should be aged for at least six months, but the longer the better.

Another rowan liqueur with honey

Freeze the mountain ash overnight, then let it thaw and rinse under warm water (you can pre-dip it in boiling water). Pour into a jar of a suitable volume, add sugar, cinnamon to taste and pour everything with alcohol, diluted in half with water. Close the jar tightly and leave in a dark, warm place for a period of six weeks to six months, as long as patience is enough. Then drain the infusion through several layers of gauze, squeeze the fruits slightly and add honey to the drink to taste, after dissolving it in warm water. If necessary, filter the liquor, then bottle it and send it for a long exposure, at least for one year.

Healing rowan liqueur with cognac

Therapeutic brew of mountain ash helps with gastrointestinal disorders, with diseases of the gallbladder, promotes the destruction of kidney stones, and is also often used to detoxify the liver (very useful in early January).

Freeze the rowan, pour over boiling water and rinse under warm water. Transfer the fruits to a jar of a suitable volume, add dates, raisins, sugar, alcohol and cognac. Pour another 300 ml of vodka (to completely cover the mountain ash), close the jar tightly and leave in a warm, dark place for 4-6 weeks. Drain the infusion through a sieve, and pour the mountain ash with the remaining vodka according to the recipe. After a week, drain the second infusion, combine it with the first, filter, bottle and send for aging for a year. Drink in small amounts after meals as a digestif.