Liqueurs and How to Use Them When You’re Making Homemade Wine
Years ago, the brandy cost about fifty cents a bottle, but now you know what is meant by “the good old days” and take note, the recipes would have called for gallons of the stuff as casually as today’s call for one measly bottle. Yet, one bottle of gin, whisky or brandy will give two bottles of the finished product with a high percentage of alcohol to half the cost of the commercial product.
If at party time economy is crucial, three or even four bottles of a liqueur-type wine could be made from one bottle of brandy, or say, cherry brandy, sloe gin or whatever you have in mind, if it were intended to use them up over a weekend or over a three day Christmas. Of course, one bottle of liqueur may be made by using exactly half the amounts listed below and little water.
Since the amount of volume has been doubled, the alcohol content has been reduced by half-twenty seven percent by volume. If you get fifty-four percent of alcohol, you can use two bottles of wine and one of gin and get 3 bottles of a product containing eighteen percent. It is important to understand the process of wine and liquor making. When two bottles of wine at 14 percent of alcohol are put together you can have twice as much wine still at 14 percent.
Method: Crush the fruit by hand, put in a basin and keep in a very warm place for twelve hours, well covered. Strain carefully through several thicknesses of fine muslin or other suitable material. Allow to drain rather than squeeze. Put the strained juice into a bottle of the same size as the brandy bottle and fill with boiled water that has been allowed to cool. Mix well by shaking the jar, cork hard and put in a cool place for one hour. By this time, a deposit will have formed. Pour the clear juice off this deposit, leaving a little juice rather than allowing any deposit though. The deposit may cause permanent cloudiness if boiled with the clear juice.
Put the clear juice in a small unchipped enamel saucepan with sugar and boil gently for two minutes. When cool put exactly half into two bottles of the same size as the brandy bottle and then fill up with brandy. Add a few drop of boiled water if the liquid does not reach to within one inch of where the corks will reach. Then cork hard and seal after giving a good shaking to ensure thorough mixing and keep for a month at least. If a film of deposit forms at the bottom of the bottles, decant before serving. SLOE GIN 1 lb. sloes, 5 oz. sugar, 1 bottle gin. 1.Wash the sloes and let them drain. Prick the sloes over with a silver or stainless-steel fork or large darning needle and put them in a four-pound Kilner jar. Sprinkle the sugar over them and then pour in the gin. Screw down tightly and put in a cool dark place for six weeks. Give the jar a good shaking once a week. 2.Strain and squeeze and put the strained sloe gin into a smaller jar, screw down tightly again and put away until clear. Pour carefully or siphon the clear sloe gin off the deposit and put exactly half into each of two bottles. Fill the bottles to within one inch of where the corks will reach with boiled water that has cooled naturally. Mix well by shaking the jar, cork seal and keep for one month. ORANGE WHISKY 4 oranges, 2 lemons, 2 seville oranges (or an extra ordinary orange and lemon), 4 oz. sugar, 1 bottle whisky.
DAMSON GIN 1 lb. damsons, 3 oz. sugar, 1 bottle gin. 1.Wash, dry, stone and halve the damsons carefully and put them in a four-pound Kilner jar. Sprinkle the sugar over them and then pour in the gin. Screw down tightly and leave in a cool dark place for three months or two months if you are in a hurry to use the product, giving a good shaking once or twice a week. 2.Strain and squeeze and put the strained damson gin into a smaller jar, screw down again and put it away to clear. Then pour carefully (or siphon) the clear gin off the deposit putting exactly half into two bottles. Then fill the bottles to within one inch of where the corks will reach with boiled water that has cooled naturally. Cork hard, seal and keep for one month.
Helen Curie has been a practicing wine-maker for years. She’s discovered the tricks to picking out the perfect combination of ingredients to obtain the best tasting wine. Using her information, anyone can learn how to easily make wine that tastes fantastic. To learn more aboutmaking homemade wine, follow the link.
Tags: Homemade wine, wine