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I began to harvest mint a long time ago, every summer I tear it, dry it, brew tea all winter and add its leaves to dishes. I don’t know what can compare with mint for its inexplicable freshness that it brings to any drink.
But you can make something more interesting out of it! Old recipes for mint alcohol are passed down from family to family, I collected mine not only within the neighbors, but also begged at a party and from friends when I saw sparkling bottles of golden liquid on the table.
This story was sent by my reader Ivan.
Variations of mint liqueurs and tinctures
There are many mint tinctures, but it is difficult to find a decent recipe. And here and there there is only one way, everywhere a horse’s dose of sugar is required, and this will not be to everyone’s taste. My friend, for example, does not like sweetness in alcohol at all, and in the heat he is completely surprised at how people drink such a hodgepodge.
There are simple mint tinctures, which usually do not add sugar or add in small quantities, mint liqueurs, menthol liqueurs (“Creme de Menthe”). The latter is especially tart in taste.
But people do not stop there and add all kinds of currant leaves, raspberries, cumin, lemon and orange zest to the recipes. The taste is completely different.
Tip: if you suddenly did not like the result of one of the recipes, then add your favorite flavor bonuses. This can make the drink so unrecognizable that you will return to it again and again!
Tinctures without distillation
Ideal if you do not have your own moonshine still. I sometimes turned to a neighbor, but it’s impossible to bother him forever, so I had to get more simple recipes.
First of all, I want to talk about mint ratafia. You probably have not heard this beautiful word, but it includes a whole family of alcohol, prepared in one strict order.
To prepare mint, you will need:
- 30-40 grams of dried mint;
- liter of alcohol;
- 200 ml of water;
- 200 gr sugar.
Mint with alcohol is insisted for about a week, but not less than three days, then filtered. At the same time, a sweet syrup is prepared, sugar and water are boiled for it, and when the mixture boils, the foam is removed, and a tincture of mint and alcohol is carefully poured into it.
You need to pour in slowly, constantly stirring. Then filter and leave in the dark and cool for a couple of weeks.
Tip: store ratafia in dark bottles to preserve the color.
Now I want to talk about spicy mint tincture. The taste is incredibly strong, almost aggressive, pleasant aroma and dark color.
For cooking I take:
- half a liter of vodka;
- 10 g dried peppermint;
- 5 g of dill seeds;
- 1.5 g ground ginger;
- 1 g of cinnamon;
- 15 grams of sugar;
- 3 g of juniper berries.
All the ingredients are poured with vodka, then the jar with all this list is sent to settle in a dark place for two weeks.
I filter twice. First through gauze, then through cotton wool. Thanks to this, the drink is crystal clear.
Mint drinks with distillation
The recipes are more complicated, but the drinks are richer in taste and can compete for quality with imported ones and any store ones.
To prepare a liquid for distillation I use:
- 500 ml of alcohol (96 degrees);
- 50 gr dried mint;
- 150 ml of water;
- 10 grams of either cumin or zest of your choice.
All ingredients are poured with water, then with alcohol, infused for a week. Then the tincture is filtered, it acquires a dark saturated shade, 50 ml is poured in order to further tint it with a natural green color.
During distillation, the infusion is diluted with water 1:1, then sent for distillation.
Tip: take away the tails, otherwise you will get a rotten herbal smell.
Mint vodka, which came out in the end, should be diluted with 150 ml of syrup and 150-200 grams of pure water. The syrup is made from sugar and water, as in previous recipes, but in a ratio of 3:1.
You can leave the liquor with a faded color after distillation, or you can add 50 ml drained and make it a rich green.
I insist it for about three weeks, maybe a week, but the more the better.
What else can be added for taste
I heard that some people add spices to alcohol. I have never tried to do it myself, to be honest, the idea seems doubtful to me, but it’s definitely worth a try for the brave.
An excellent choice would be cumin or orange zest. Lemon gives more sourness, which I personally do not really like, but orange gives a great juicy flavor.
I saw how berries are added to the tincture. Of course, the juice from a couple of berries does not really affect the taste much, except that it adds sweetness, but the aroma changes significantly.
This will be especially useful for menthol tinctures, where the smell is very strong, not comparable to the light aroma of peppermint.
How much money will this pleasure cost us
Drinks are not very expensive. For ratafia I buy alcohol (600 rubles) and sugar (20 rubles), everything else is mine, it comes out 620 rubles.
I spend only 340 rubles on the second tincture, but this is due to the fact that I have my own plot on which I grow most of the products from the list.
Even if you buy everything in the store, the dosage there is quite low, so it will cost 50-70 rubles more.
A distilled drink usually costs me 340 rubles. I buy alcohol and sometimes oranges for zest, sugar, water from a well.
Do you love mint? Have you heard of any of these recipes? Share yours, mint tinctures are very rare!