In addition to the characteristic aroma of dried fruits, homemade prune liqueur is remembered for its mild taste with light notes of smoke and smoked meat in the aftertaste. An excellent dessert spirit, which can be diluted with apple juice before drinking to reduce the strength.
For cooking, any prunes without signs of spoilage (rot and mold) are suitable, preferably fresh, fragrant and not very hard (dried). If dried fruits with seeds, a slightly bitter almond flavor will appear in the liqueur, which is formed due to hydrocyanic acid and cyanide in the nucleoli. With proper insistence and the addition of sugar, the concentration of harmful substances in the finished drink is low, therefore, in moderation, it does not cause health problems. Pitted prunes are a little fresher, but also tasty and guaranteed safe.
Vodka is often the main alcohol, but you can use well-purified moonshine, diluted ethyl alcohol or cheap cognac. Prune liqueur on cognac is obtained with light woody notes that perfectly complement the slightly smoked flavor of dried fruits.
Ingredients:
- prunes – 150 grams;
- vodka (cognac, alcohol, moonshine) – 0,5 liters;
- sugar (liquid honey) – 50-150 grams (to taste);
- lemon – 1 piece (optional);
- vanillin – on the tip of a knife (optional).
I advise you to first add 50 grams of sugar, and sweeten the already prepared liqueur, because the prunes themselves are also sweet. Lemon zest complements the aroma with citrus notes, and the juice softens the taste and introduces a slight sourness. Vanillin gives a characteristic aroma.
Prune liqueur recipe
1. Pour boiling water over prunes, leave for 3 minutes, then drain the broth, and rinse the berries with cold running water. Soaking allows you to remove the remnants of the preservative from the surface of dried fruits and promotes extraction – the extraction of solids.
2. Wash the lemon in warm water and wipe dry. With a knife or vegetable peeler, remove only the upper yellow part from the fruit – the zest.
It is very important that the white bitter pulp does not get into the drink.
3. Put steamed prunes, lemon zest, sugar (honey) and vanillin into a container for infusion (glass jar or bottle). Fill with alcohol base. Squeeze juice from half a lemon. Mix and close tightly.
4. Infuse for 15 days in a dark place at room temperature. Shake the container every 3 days.
Attention! When using prunes with pits, it is important not to keep the drink longer than 20 days so that a minimum of harmful substances get into the liquor. Also, cyanide and hydrocyanic acid in alcohol solutions are well neutralized by sugar, so the sweeter the drink, the safer it is.
5. Filter through cheesecloth. Taste and sweeten with sugar or honey if desired. Mix.
6. Bottle for storage. Close hermetically. Away from direct sunlight, the shelf life of homemade prunes is up to 2 years. Fortress – 25-33%.
