Authors: Andrew Schloss
Tags: #liquor, #cofee, #home cocktails, #cocktails, #liqueurs, #popular liqueurs, #spirits, #creamy, #kahlua, #unsweetened infused, #flavored alcohol, #bar recipes, #sweetners, #distilled, #herbal, #nutty, #creative coctails, #flowery, #infused spirits, #clones, #flavorings, #margarita, #home bar, #recipes, #cointreau, #cocktail recipes, #alcohol, #caramel, #homemade liqueurs, #fruity, #flavoring alcohol
Rose perfume is blousy and bold and tricky to tame. Raspberry, with its lush flavor and bright color, is a worthy companion. Usually I would expect and even encourage a potent flavor like rose to have its way, but when I introduced these two, I was shocked at how graciously the rose slipped into the background, creating a delightfully ethereal fruit liqueur. It makes an enchanting cooler poured over ice and splashed with soda.
Makes about 1 quart
Prost!
Try some Electric Raspberry Lemonade (
page 243
), shown above.
Chamomile is calming, angelica promotes digestion and boosts the immune system, and tarragon is rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation throughout the body. If your body is a temple, these three are its guardian angels. The flavor of this liqueur is multidimensional — floral, herbal, and bittersweet. Angelica has a stimulating bitter aftertaste (indicative of digestive aids) that works seamlessly with the aromatics and sugar syrup.
Makes about 1 quart
Cheers!
Mix with tonic water for an excellent Tummy Tamer (
page 256
).
Calendula (marigold) is one of those floral herbs whose health benefits seem to have no bounds. It is good for disease prevention and helps relieve inflammation, menstrual cramps, and tummy aches. In addition, it has a glorious golden color, which it effortlessly shares with this gorgeous liqueur. The gold is enhanced by saffron threads, the crimson stigmas of the saffron crocus. Though beautiful, neither saffron nor marigold has a distinctive aroma, so the principal flavor in this liqueur comes from orange zest.
Makes about 1 quart
Santé!
Makes a vibrant Sunshine Cosmo (
page 248
) and an iridescent Screwdriver.
Glowing red and fragrantly tart, hibiscus blends effortlessly with citrus flavors. Red hibiscus is associated with the Hindu goddess Kali, consort of Shiva, the god of eternal time. Ironic because hibiscus blossoms are notoriously fragile, wilting within hours of harvesting, but that’s all the more reason to capture their vibrant color and delicious medicinal tang through drying. Hibiscus blooms are high in vitamin C, and in some medical studies have been shown to lower blood pressure.
Makes about 1 quart
Bottoms Up!
Use in place of traditional Sour mix.
Hibiscus and rose live at opposite corners of the flavor spectrum, but in color they are utterly simpatico. The taste of hibiscus is sharp and bright (about 25 percent organic acids by weight), while rose is soft and welcoming (geraniol, its prime aromatic molecule, is generically fruity and is used in the production of imitation fruit flavors like peach, raspberry, pineapple, and watermelon). Opposites attract, however, and together these two are damned near all-encompassing. The color of this liqueur, a crystalline ruby glow, is breathtaking.
Makes about 1 quart
Salut!
Flavor a Daiquiri or a Margarita or make a sexy Blushing Spritzer (
page 243
).
The pervasive scent of orange blossoms on a tree vanishes as soon as the blooms are plucked, so to capture their heady allure in a liqueur I was forced to reinvent nature. Jasmine has an all-purpose floral perfume that survives drying beautifully. When combined with orange peel (bursting with fragrant orange oils) they imitate the scent of orange flowers. Real orange blossoms are more delicate, but not more delicious.
Makes about 1 quart
Prost!
Use to perfume a simple Screwdriver or make an Orange Blossom Mimosa (
page 244
).
I find most bourbons pedestrian — nice enough, but a little too sweet and often unfortunately flabby (give me rye any day). So when confronted with a bourbon shot, I rely on a drop of bitters to perk things up. That’s the idea here. By infusing bourbon with hops (the bittering blossom common to beer) and a pinch of cinchona (bitter quinine flavor), you achieve a bourbon with cojones. It’s a perfect base for Manhattans and Old-Fashioneds; no further bitters necessary.
Makes about 1 quart
Skål!
Some variations on a theme: Manhattan Streamlined (
page 246
), New-Fashioned Old-Fashioned (
page 249
), and Black Velvet Redux (
page 254
).
St-Germain, a tropically sweet herbal-floral French liqueur made from wild elderflowers hand-harvested in the French Alps, comes in a breathtakingly elegant bottle. Archly tapered and fluted like an Art Nouveau column, it is the classiest package on the barroom wall. I have tried my best to match its beauty, and though I still like the original better, this copycat version is delicious in its own right and far less expensive per bottle. Use it in place of vermouth in a Martini or wherever else you like to use vermouth.
Makes about 1 quart
L’chaim!
Sit in the garden sipping a Flowering Martini, pictured (
page 248
), or Kiwi Flower Crush (
page 250
).