Hand-Crafted Liqueurs

Making liquor goes way back, I mean, waaaay back, like before-biblical back. Something there is that loves a fermented beverage. One can see how The Early Ones™ thought this was the greatest thing since, well, not sliced bread, that came later, but a really great invention. You feel good, you sorta get loose with your buds, maybe you approach the gal with the long hair that got burned in the cooking fire so she has an exotic look.

No doubt Holy People of The Early Ones™ tried to control access to such beverages for lots of reasons--they wanted the buzz, they wanted to control who had the delusions and visions, and/or they didn’t want others to have fun.

But, as good things will do, secrets to how to brew alcohol became widely known. I am dropping notes into a tickle file” on a book about The Early Ones that I will write someday. Alcohol will play a role.

But we are the Now Ones. Unless you live in certain areas of Extreme Liquor Management, alcohol is pretty readily available across the world. Now Ones can buy beer and wine making kits on the Internet and start a home brewery for $100-$200. Additionally, microbrewery and boutique breweries and wineries provide real options in liquors that have been crafted for millennia.

Chicago, our youngest son, worked in various areas of wine production and sales over the years. He has done it all from hauling rocks and killing snakes so he can plant vines to stocking liquor store shelves to selling bottles of fine wine in a tasting room. Let me tell you how weird it is to hear your child talk wine-speak, a language you barely understand.

But, I digress.

I am not going to deal with beer and wine kits and directions and aging and stuff like that. Nope. Liqueurs! That’s where we are today.

One year for Christmas I made liqueurs to to give friends and relatives (who were drinkers--I did not give this gift to my Mormon sister). Unfortunately, there were not a great success. They just didn’t taste like the real deal--because, of course, they were not the real deal. They were cheap knockoffs, and they tasted like it.

DH, trying to save money on how fast we drain liqueurs for our nightly take-the-rough-edges-off sipper, bought an alternative to the Bailey’s Irish Cream I am fond of. I got it down over the course of several nights, but I didn’t request more. I never whined, but when asked, I told DH that at this point in my life I was worth a few more bucks to him and he should cough up the cash. He did, bless his heart.

Some of you may sip these, but I recommend you put them in coffee or tea or over ice cream or mixed with pudding or to flavor pound cake or . . . Are you seeing a pattern here? Bury the flavor in something else. Got it? With that caveat, try these recipes:

MYO Kahlula: Boil 12c stng joe+2# brn sug. Cool. Add 4-6T van+1 btl Everclear.

MYO Kahlua: Boil 1qt h2o+2.5c sug+3T instant espresso. Simmer 3 hrs. Cool. Add 1T van+2.5 c vodka.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention how much I love “tweating” recipes. You get a word puzzle and a recipe. Cool, huh?

So, the recipes I provided here are good for what they are; but if you want to sip an after dinner drink, buy the real deal. You’re worth the few extra bucks.