Lychee is one of the most popular fruits in Southeast Asia, its edible white flesh resembles jelly in texture, the taste is sweet (up to 15% sugar), with hints of strawberries, currants and white grapes. Homemade lychee tincture is remembered for the aroma of rose jam and mild sweet and sour exotic taste.
Need ripe lychee (red skin) without rot, mold and blackened parts. Fruits of good quality have a whole skin, slightly soft to the touch. Darkening indicates that the berries have long been plucked from the tree.
Vodka, diluted ethyl alcohol or well-purified fruit moonshine are suitable as an alcohol base. Other types of spirits, especially barrel-aged ones, will overpower the subtle flavor of the lychee.
Ingredients:
- vodka (alcohol 40-45%, moonshine) – 0,5 liters;
- pulp of lychee berries – 300 grams;
- sugar – to taste (up to 150 grams);
- water – to taste (to reduce the strength).
Honey neutralizes the subtle flavor of the lychee, so it is not recommended. It is advisable to add a minimum of water so that the taste remains concentrated.
Lychee tincture recipe
1. Peel the lychee berries, remove the seeds.
2. Fold the pulp into a container for infusion – a glass bottle or jar. Pour in the alcohol base. Mix.
3. Seal tightly. Insist in a dark place at room temperature for 10 days. Shake once a day.
4. Strain the resulting tincture through 2-3 layers of gauze. Squeeze the pulp lightly.
5. Try a drink. Sweeten with sugar to taste if desired. To reduce the strength, you can slightly dilute it with water or boil sugar syrup (mix water and sugar, bring to a boil, boil for 3-5 minutes over low heat, removing foam, then cool to room temperature). Pour into bottles for storage. Close hermetically.
Attention! Lychee berries contain a lot of pectin, so the tincture will be cloudy, perhaps even slightly viscous. Filtration through cotton wool or a coffee filter will not help much, this is a feature of the drink.
6. Before tasting, leave the tincture in the refrigerator for 2-3 days to stabilize the taste.
The shelf life of homemade lychee tincture is up to 3 years. Fortress – 24-29% (depending on the amount of sugar).
