How to make blackcurrant liqueur. Homemade blackcurrant liqueur

25.04.2024

Currants are a fragrant berry that will not only decorate jam, compote or pie, but will also perform well in homemade sweet liqueur. It is not without reason that the legendary French Crème de Cassis is prepared using blackcurrants.

Blackcurrant liqueur turns out to be the brightest in taste and fragrant, since this type of berry is the most saturated with essential oils. However, red and white varieties of currants, widespread in the gardens of our country, also produce a pleasant alcoholic drink, the sweetness and strength of which can be adjusted to taste. Typically, the strength of liqueur ranges from 15 to 50 degrees.

Cooking features

Currant liqueur is prepared from accessible and inexpensive ingredients: berries, alcohol component, water and sugar. At the same time, it is not recommended to save on ingredients, since high-quality raw materials produce a decent drink that would not be embarrassing to put on the table in any company.

Currant liqueur also has one important advantage - it can be prepared as needed from frozen berries, which gain sweetness after exposure to low temperatures. To do this, the currants are thawed and used together with the released juice.

The alcohol on which the berries are infused can be vodka, alcohol or cognac, but moonshine is not suitable for extracting juice from currants; it will only kill the summer aroma of the liqueur. Or you need to choose a proven product that has undergone two-stage distillation. In order to shade and enrich the currant liqueur, honey, blackcurrant leaves or cherry leaves, and clove buds are added to it if desired.

Blackcurrant Recipes

Blackcurrant liqueur differs from its counterparts in its rich dark color and noticeable aroma of sun-drenched berries. When consumed wisely, it is a drink that is good for colds and has immune-supporting properties.

First, basic

Proportions:

black currant – 1000–1200 g;
vodka – 2 bottles of 0.5 liters or 1 liter of alcohol diluted to 40 degrees;
sugar – 1 kg;
water – 3 glasses, approximately 750 ml.
currant leaves - 7-9 pieces, optional, to improve the aroma of the liqueur and give it a piquant sourness.

Preparation method:

Before preparing blackcurrant liqueur, you need to carefully sort out the berries, removing ridges and substandard fruits: moldy, dry, unripe fruits.
Rinse and dry them if dirt or dust has accumulated on the skin. When the currants are clean, you can skip this step.
Lightly mash the fruits with a wooden spoon or masher so that the torn skin allows the juice to escape without crushing the seeds.
Place the berries and washed, crushed leaves in a jar or bottle and fill with vodka.
Close tightly and leave to infuse at a warm temperature for at least a month, 35–60 days. The mass should ferment, but not mold. Check it by shaking the container every 5 days.
Strain the tincture using a sieve, gauze or paper filter. Squeeze the berries dry to fully utilize them. Discard the cake or use it to flavor and refine grain or sugar distillates.
Pour syrup made from sugar and water into it. It needs to simmer over low heat for about 5-10 minutes until foam forms, and then cool.
Leave the tightly sealed blackcurrant liqueur for another 7–10 days to gain strength and optimal taste. You can taste it or bottle it until the right occasion.

Using the same recipe, it is permissible to make liqueur from white or red currants, but without mixing either variety with black. Cognac will give an interesting taste if you use it as an alcoholic base. The expected strength of the drink is 15–17 degrees. If you want a stronger drink, then instead of vodka you should use 60% alcohol. The shelf life will be up to 3 years.

Second, a la Creme de Cassis

This blackcurrant liqueur was created as an imitation of the famous especially sweet French drink, which is good both in pure form and as an ingredient for cocktails with dry white wine or champagne (respectively).

Components:

1.5 kg of washed black currants;
1.5 l brandy;
0.5 l of water;
1 kg sugar.

Sort the berries, mash a little until the skin cracks.
Place in a container of suitable volume and pour in brandy.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and keep in a cool place for 2 months.
Filter from currants, which have given color and taste to alcohol.
Make standard sugar syrup, cool it and mix with berry tincture.
Pour the almost finished blackcurrant liqueur into small bottles and keep for another week in a dark place.
It is recommended to store in the refrigerator and consume immediately after opening.

Two redcurrant liqueur recipes

With cherry and raspberry leaves

This redcurrant liqueur is made with cherry and raspberry leaves. This is due to the fact that this variety of currant itself does not have a strong taste. Therefore, additional ingredients are added to the redcurrant liqueur recipe to give the drink more interesting notes. And it won’t let you down when it comes to color: a pleasant light ruby shade will remind you of summer with its rich tints.

Red currant liqueur will delight you with an unobtrusive and soft aftertaste with a slight sourness that distinguishes this berry.

The preparation technology is similar to other liqueurs:

Prepare cherry leaves (100 pieces) and raspberry leaves (20 pieces), washing and drying them. Then put them in 1 liter of boiling water and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes in a saucepan covered with a lid. Then cool and strain.
Red currant liqueur uses a small amount of berries - only 0.5 kg. You need to wash them, remove leaves and grains, add 0.5 kg of sugar and mash.
Pour 0.5 liters of vodka and add 1 teaspoon of citric acid. Pour in the decoction of the leaves, close and leave for a month.
Filter the drink and bottle it.

Express method

This redcurrant liqueur will be ready in just a week, which is very practical for urgent needs. For 1 kg of berries you will need 0.75 liters of vodka, 800 g of sugar, 0.5 liters of water and a few leaves from a blackcurrant bush. This amount of ingredients will yield approximately 1.7 liters of liquor.

The manufacturing process is simple. Pour sorted currants and crushed leaves into a glass container and add the alcohol component. Keep in a warm place or on the sunny side for exactly 7 days. Boil syrup or dissolve sugar in warm boiled water. Separate the berries from the tincture, mix two liquids: vodka infused with currants and sweet syrup. Filter again and bottle the liquor.

From white currant

White currant liqueur is viscous, rich and sweet, as befits a real fruit liqueur. This is also a relatively quick recipe: more than a liter of this wonderful drink will be ready for the table in just 2 weeks.

The principle is the same: prepare a tincture of currants (0.5 kg) and vodka (0.5 l) for a couple of weeks, mix with syrup from sugar (0.5 kg) and water (0.5 l). Now you can treat your friends and family with homemade clear liqueur of a light yellow hue.

Use

Connoisseurs of homemade alcohol will treat themselves to homemade liqueur after a hearty meal, knowing that this drink is an excellent digestif that helps digest food. In this case, it is best to serve it in small glasses with a stem.

The berry liqueur can be savored in small sips or drunk in one gulp, feeling an instant surge of warmth throughout the body. The taste of currant liqueur is best revealed if the drink is at room temperature.

There are several other ways to use currant liqueur:

diluted by adding water or ice;
as an additive to tea, coffee, cocoa instead of sugar;
as an ingredient for desserts, baked goods, ice cream;
in cocktails, for example, with juice.

Blackcurrant liqueur will appeal to connoisseurs of elite alcohol and lovers of sweet alcoholic drinks. An attractive garnet red hue with wonderful purple tints inspires and creates an enchanting romantic atmosphere.

Its deep, pure aroma is dominated by notes of juicy and ripe currants, and its taste is easily recognizable by intense, perfectly balanced berry tones with a pleasant tartness. Moreover, the drink amazes with its long-lasting, delicate, not cloyingly sweet aftertaste, filled with hints of natural currants.

For those who want to enjoy such an excellent alcoholic drink, I offer several interesting, simple recipes for blackcurrant liqueur that can be quickly executed at home.

Did you know? When consumed in moderation, currant liqueur, in addition to providing a pleasant pastime, enriches the consumer’s body with useful substances that can boost immunity and help cope with a cold at the initial stage of its development.

Blackcurrant liqueur prepared according to this recipe has an incredibly rich aroma characteristic of this berry and a slightly tart, but very soft taste.

The drink is wonderful in its pure, undiluted form; it also goes well with desserts and will be an appropriate part of a romantic dinner.

The strength of this alcohol ranges from 15 to 18 revolutions, and the shelf life when stored in a cold place can reach three years.

List of components

Cooking process

Recipe for blackcurrant liqueur with alcohol

The alcohol made according to this recipe has a rich ruby color, and the aromatic bouquet is replete with amazing shades of juicy berries, which are in perfect harmony with the nuances of the alcohol.

The royal taste of this alcoholic drink amazes with its excellent balance and depth with pronounced notes of delicious ripe blackcurrant fruits.

List of components

Cooking process

Wash the berries, sort them and separate them from the ridges, choosing only juicy and ripe fruits.
We put the selected fruits in a glass jar, and add granulated sugar there.
Shake the ingredients thoroughly so that the sweet component is distributed throughout all the berries.
We place the container in the cellar or any other cold room for at least three days.
As soon as the berries release juice, fill them with alcohol and seal the jar hermetically with a tight lid.
We return the container to the cellar and infuse the product for approximately two months. Do not forget to periodically shake the contents of the jar in order to speed up the dissolution of sugar and the cooking time.
We filter the alcohol through a gauze filter, squeezing as much juice as possible from the berries.
Pour the alcohol into glass bottles and allow the drink to mature for another five days.

Recipe for blackcurrant liqueur with cognac

The presented technology for producing a noble drink is designed for impatient winemakers who want to enjoy alcohol within a week. The taste of this alcoholic drink is slightly less rich than that of liqueurs in previous recipes, although it is not inferior to many commercial alcoholic products.

This drink amazes with its unusual combination of black berry and almond aromas, as well as its beautiful pomegranate color. To make this alcohol, you can use dried or frozen blackcurrants.

List of components

Cooking process

We wash and sort fresh berries, after which we separate them from the ridges and put them in a deep container.
Crush the fruits thoroughly until you obtain a homogeneous porridge-like consistency.
Transfer the resulting mixture into a glass vessel and fill it with high-quality cognac.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly and seal the jar tightly.
Let the product infuse for one week in a cool place, stirring the infusion periodically.
Filter the finished alcohol through a gauze filter and mix it with sugar syrup.
Let the alcohol sit for a couple of hours in the refrigerator and you can start tasting. To obtain a softer and more refined taste, I advise you to keep the product for another couple of weeks.

Cocktail recipes with blackcurrant liqueur

Blackcurrant liqueur makes incredibly beautiful and tasty cocktails that will be a worthy decoration for any family celebration. I bring to your attention only the most original and best of those that I have tried.

Shot Pavlova

The presented mix is very easy to prepare and pleasantly pleases with the absence of complex, expensive components.

The cocktail wins the hearts of lovers of interesting tastes and delights with its simple appearance. This shot is drunk in one gulp, after which it is snacked with a slice of lemon.

List of components

Cooking process

Place all liquid ingredients and the drink glass in the freezer for 12-15 minutes.
First, fill the glass with liqueur.
Carefully place a layer of vodka on top of it using a cocktail spoon or a wide knife blade.
As a decoration, use a slice of citrus, sprinkled with a pinch of sugar.

Red Sin

A refreshing cocktail with a tempting name will undoubtedly appeal to the fair half of humanity. It has a curious taste and deep aroma.

The cocktail is very easy to drink, since the degree of strength is practically not felt, which creates the misleading impression that you are not getting drunk.

List of components

Cooking process

Mix liqueur, juice and ice cubes in a shaker.
Shake the ingredients well and pour the resulting mixture into a chilled glass.
We fill the free space with champagne.
As a decoration, you can place a brush with currants or a circle of fresh orange on the edge of the glass.

Blackcurrant liqueur recipe video

For a more detailed study of the technology for preparing blackcurrant liqueur, I advise you to pay attention to the original recipes from experienced winemakers.

Video No. 1.

After watching this video, you will get acquainted with a simple, but slightly different recipe for a blackcurrant alcoholic drink.

The master will thoroughly explain the whole process, and then taste the alcohol prepared with his own hands and express his opinion regarding its taste.

Video No. 2.

In this video, an experienced winemaker will present his signature recipe for a divine drink for gourmets and connoisseurs of quality alcoholic products.

Initially, the specialist does not infuse the fruits, but cooks a compote from them and only after that prepares the liqueur.

Helpful information

I highly recommend this simple method of making chokeberry liqueur. The taste of this alcohol is special, quite unusual, which will delight even those who do not like sweet shades in alcoholic drinks.
For those who want to cook something non-standard with their own hands, I advise you to start studying a simple recipe - -.
—Egg liqueur—also belongs to the category of original alcoholic drinks that amaze guests and arouse the admiration of the hostess.
For a snack, I propose a method for preparing everyone’s favorite and revered chocolate liqueur, which will become an excellent dessert or a divine base for chic cocktails.

Now you know where to use excess blackcurrants after harvesting a bountiful harvest. Enjoy preparing and further tasting blackcurrant liqueur and share your impressions in the comments. Thank you for your attention and good luck in your new endeavors!

Regular readers probably already know that I dream of having my own wine cellar. And this is not because I love alcohol, but simply because I love guests. And especially impress them with your delicious drinks. Of course, my experience is small, only about 20 years, this is not all the time I was interested in and did, namely work experience.

In my practice, I produce both low-alcohol drinks and moonshine, but most of all I like to make exclusive drinks, in the form of liqueurs, tinctures, or just cognacs.

Not all recipes are on the blog, but there is an idea to post more recipes, both for myself and for you. Moreover, I haven’t tried all the recipes from my notebook. And I’m also good with imagination, I can combine and come up with my own.

I didn’t see this recipe anywhere, but I came up with it myself. And I did it several times to adjust the ingredients to suit my taste. And this is not a figment of the imagination, but a modified and adjusted recipe through practical preparation. And my taste is already trusted not only in our family, but also by friends and acquaintances who have tried our drinks.

Homemade blackcurrant liqueur

What I like about this recipe is that you can prepare it not only during the berry season, but also in winter, using frozen currants.

0.7 liter jar of currants
0.7 liter jar of sugar
0.8 liter jar of water
1 liter of vodka

Liqueur recipe

1. First of all, you need to prepare the berries. Wash and sort them from stalks and debris.

2. Fill the berries with water and send them to the fire.

3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

4. Strain through a colander lined with gauze in 2 layers. We just strain without grinding. We squeeze it out.

5. Place the strained broth on the fire.

7. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam if desired. I personally take it off, although we still defend the liquor afterwards. Then turn off the heat and leave to cool.

8. When the syrup has cooled a little, pour it into a jar in which the liqueur will be infused.

9. I pour out the vodka. Instead of vodka, you can use moonshine or alcohol. For example, I use alcohol diluted to 40%. I specially bought 10 liters of alcohol before the harvesting season. I have already prepared strawberry, wild strawberry, and blueberry liqueur. There are also plans for raspberry and cherry.

10. Let it sit for at least two or three weeks so that the vodka becomes friends with the syrup. After this time, the smell of alcohol will go away, and only the aroma of currants will remain. Ideally, let it brew for several months.

I liked the cherry and blackcurrant liqueur the most. But this year we have significantly expanded the range, and now it’s difficult to say. Subscribe to our channel, and closer to winter I will conduct a tasting of already infused liqueurs, and I will definitely give my assessment.

Recipe for a low-alcohol drink with black currants

And now a recipe for a low-alcohol drink, very tasty and without any chemicals. Take blackcurrant compote, pour 2/3 of it into a glass, add liqueur, and insert a straw. It turns out to be a very tasty and divine, very aromatic low-alcohol drink.

And in conclusion, I will give you several recipes for liqueurs, starting with this one, only in video format.

How to make strawberry liqueur with vodka

Homemade blueberry liqueur

Admirers of Hercule Poirot know that his favorite drink was Crème de Cassis. Agatha Christie recalled him more than once in her works. What kind of drink is this? Back in 1841, the owner of a cafe in Dijon formed a recipe for delicious blackcurrant liqueur. This Frenchman's name was Auguste-Denis Lagout.

To this day, it is in this region that the best copies of the drink are produced, but even they cannot beat homemade Creme de Cassis.

Homemade blackcurrant liqueur

There are a lot of recipes for this drink, but they all come down to one preparation technology: first of all, the berries are delicately crushed, then for two months they are infused in alcohol (traditionally brandy is used), the alcohol infusion is squeezed out and combined with sugar.

The result is a rich purple liqueur with a light berry aroma.

In order to get 2 liters of ready-made liqueur, take:

1.36 kg of berries,
1.36 liters of vodka (the best option is 50% alcohol),
0.9 kg sugar.

Preparation:

The currants are thoroughly washed and sorted so that there are no stems, rot or other foreign elements in the berries.
The berries are crushed in small portions so that each of them is crushed, but the seeds remain intact. To do this, you can use a food processor or blender.
After this, the currants are poured into a container of the required volume and filled with vodka. The process of maceration follows - soaking the berries in vodka in a dark, cool place. Duration of soaking – 1 month.
After this time, squeeze out the alcohol juice using gauze, filter the liquid several more times and pass through a cotton filter.
The filtered alcohol infusion is combined with sugar. To obtain a regular tincture, it will be enough to take 20% of the sand from the total volume of juice. For the famous Cassis you will need about 45% sugar. In this case, the ingredient is added in small portions and stirred until completely dissolved.
The final stage is bottling and capping. It is very important that the liqueur is tightly closed, as it tends to oxidize quickly. You can notice this when the drink changes its color from purple to brown.

Reference! Creme de Cassis, unlike the usual tincture, turns out to be more rich and viscous. It is usually not drunk in its pure form, but is used to make cocktails.

The technology for preparing blackcurrant liqueur is described in the video:

Redcurrant with vodka - a simple recipe

The red currant tincture made with Belarusian vodka Zubrovka turns out to be interesting and rich.

To get an interesting tincture in Polish traditions you will need:

0.5 liters of Zubrovka vodka (can be replaced with regular vodka, but the taste will be different);
0.2 kg of red currant berries;
0.1 kg granulated sugar.

To prepare the tincture in Polish this way:

The currants are washed well and sorted thoroughly. The berries are separated from twigs and other foreign substances.
The berries are placed in a jar and ground together with sugar.
The next step is adding vodka. After this, the container with the future drink is placed in a dark, cool place, where it will infuse until the berries are completely discolored (about two weeks). In this case, once every couple of days the container must be shaken to completely dissolve the sugar.
Filter the tincture and bottle it for further storage.

How to make aromatic redcurrant liqueur with vodka is described in the video:

How to drink the drink correctly?

Some time ago, currant liqueur was served in cafes for free. However, not a single Frenchman drank it in its pure form. The liqueur was necessarily diluted with wine, champagne, vermouth and even mineral water.