No matter how much they argue about the origin of cranberry cordial, which is called "northern lemon“But the benefits of this berry are beyond any doubt.
And yet everyone is unanimous in that the cranberry liquor at home not only has healing properties when used wisely, but is also surprisingly light and tastes good.
Pouring cranberries at home - general principles of preparation
Cranberries from those berries that are said to become sweeter from frost. Therefore, for the preparation of liquors, and even when using it in any recipes, it is better to freeze the berry, even if it is only picked.
There are other undeniable advantages in freezing berries and fruits:
• The separation of juice from the thawed product is more intense than that of fresh fruit.
• Frozen cranberries can always be taken out of the refrigerator, even in the early summer, and made from it, for example, with cherries, raspberries or strawberries. You can bring figs or mangoes from the south while on vacation and combine these exotic fruits with frozen cranberries.
The sour and slightly tart taste of cranberries goes well with the fruits:
Mango,
Pears
Apple
Tangerines and oranges,
Other berries.
All sorts of spicy-flavoring additives perfectly complement cranberries:
Cinnamon,
Ginger,
Chocolate,
Clove
Vanilla,
Mint.
The list of flavors that complement the cranberries can be continued indefinitely. With great confidence, we can say that many of the best combinations of tastes and aromas are not yet open.
Infusions refer to liqueur group alcoholic drinks. The range of fortresses, both liquors and liquors, is currently variable. It is believed that liqueurs, stronger drinks than liqueurs. The strength of liqueurs - 12-25%. In your kitchen, you can make a draft of any fortress, if desired. To do this, you can use an alcohol meter or resort to simple arithmetic calculations. The only thing that exactly distinguishes the liquor from the liquor is the aging container. Liqueurs on manufacturing technology should be stored in oak barrels. Infusions are drawn in glass, ceramic or other containers. The exceptions are tanks made of iron or plastic, which are not intended for the storage of food.
The basis of the liqueur is fresh natural fruit or berry juice. Fruit and berry material for making liqueurs is obtained by crushing raw materials. Depending on the properties of certain fruits, as well as on the recipe, various grinding techniques are used: slicing fruits, pricking, chopping using mechanical tools (pulp, fruit drink).
To prepare the filling, one can use fruit and berry raw materials of one kind or combine (blend) two or more types of fruits.
The resulting fruit mass is insisted on drinking alcohol, vodka, and other drinks containing alcohol, 40% or more: cognac, rum, brandy. The quality of these products also affects the taste of the manufactured liquors. It is better to avoid using low-grade raw materials containing aldehydes, fusel oils, ethyl alcohol, methanol and many other dangerous compounds.
In addition to the fact that alcohol gives strength to the liquor, it enhances and accelerates the process of separating juice from the pulp of fruit raw materials.
In the preparation of liquors, the method of initial fermentation of the fruit mass is also used, followed by insisting on alcohol-containing drinks.
The following taste criteria of liqueurs - sugar content. Sugar gives softness to the taste of strong liquor, although it does not actually reduce the alcohol content in it. The classic cranberry liquor according to an industrial recipe contains 30 grams of sugar for every 100 ml of product. At home, this indicator can be varied in accordance with personal preferences.
A great addition to the manufacture of liqueurs are spices and medicinal plants. Using the following recipes you can personally verify this by preparing a cranberry liqueur at home.
Recipe 1. Pouring cranberries at home with mint
The combination of mint freshness, sour astringency of red berries and sugar in an alcoholic drink makes the presence of degrees invisible.
Composition:
• Cranberry juice 2.4 liters
• Honey 400 g
• Mint, fresh (leaves) 250 g
• Sugar (syrup) 850 g
• Alcohol, wine 150-200 ml
Cooking:
Mint tincture is better to prepare in advance, before you start to make the cranberry liqueur. Finely chopped leaves are tightly packed in a jar and filled with alcohol. Put the closed jar away from sunlight. After 2-3 weeks, squeeze the leaves, and clear the resulting tincture using a cotton-gauze filter.
Grate cranberries and combine with honey, together with the skin. The resulting wort can withstand at a temperature of 20-25 degrees for 10-12 days, shake daily. When fermentation begins, seal with a medical glove with a punctured finger. Then we wait for the end of fermentation and remove the cranberry-honey wine from the lees. Need to wait another week. If sediment reappears, repeat removal. It is better not to filter, but to drain with a tube. Add sugar syrup and peppermint tincture to the refined young wine. We remove the container in a dark place for a couple of months for aging. Now pouring can be tasted. But the true taste and aroma will appear in about six months. Liquors, like vintage wines, the longer they are aged, the tastier they are.
Recipe 2. Pouring cranberries at home, with juniper and galangal
Raw Material:
• Cranberries, thawed 1 kg
• Juniper, ordinary (berries) 50 g
• Vodka 400 ml
• Sugar 250 g
• Kalgan (cinquefoil) root 20 g
• Water 200 ml
Cooking:
Pour the frozen cranberries into a sieve, under which we put a suitable container for draining water and juice. This liquid is used to make sugar syrup. It contains berry juice and melt water: that is, in essence, it is purified water and juice. If the liquid is not enough, then add to 200 ml of purified water. The syrup is enough to bring to a boil to completely dissolve the sugar. In a gauze bag we tie the root of Kalgan and juniper berries. It should be borne in mind that only juniper is suitable for food. Juniper berries are sold in specialized stores and pharmacies. It’s better not to buy them on the market if you don’t know what the edible berry should look like. Cranberries slightly crushed to the berries released juice. In a container with pulp, lower the healing bag, pour the syrup and vodka, mix the contents of the jar well. Then the container is removed for storage in a dark and warm place, and we “forget” about the bank for a month. After the “find” we filter and pour into dark glass bottles.
Recipe 3. Pouring cranberries at home, with a citrus flavor
Composition:
• Brandy or rum (optional) - 2.1 L
• Oranges - 2.4 kg
• Cranberries, frozen 1.7 kg
• Sugar 0.9 kg-1.0 kg
Cooking:
Cranberry goes well with any citrus. If desired, oranges can be replaced with tangerines. The main thing that the fruit was sweet enough. The aroma of lemons can also “decorate” the taste of cranberry juice, but when using lemon juice you will have to add more sugar. Therefore, if you want to add lemon notes, use only the zest of lemon or double the sugar content. From 2.2 kg of oranges, you get about a liter of juice. 750 kg of juice comes out of a kilogram of cranberries. So, on average, two liters of pure juice should be obtained. Now about the fortress. Rum contains 35-40% alcohol, cognac - from 40 to 72%. The strength of the beverage will depend on the selected alcoholic beverage and its added volume. The recipe indicates the amount of rum (35%) to obtain a liquor with a strength of 17 - 19%. Take into account that the percentage of alcohol should not be lower than 15 - 16 degrees. This is a critical point for the yeast. Bringing fresh juice to a fortress of 15-16 degrees means stopping the fermentation process of wild yeast, which will increase the shelf life of the liquor without the risk of unwanted fermentation or acidification.
Remove the zest from citrus fruits, peel them and cut them into cubes to let the juice flow. Mash wooden pestle cranberries. Combine berries with oranges and pour sugar. Wait until the sugar has dissolved. You can speed up the process: take a small amount of juice or water, pour sugar into it and heat it on the stove until dissolved. All juice is not worth warming up, because vitamin C is destroyed when heated. It is important to preserve vitamins and dizzy aroma in the drink. Next, we combine our favorite cognac or rum with syrup and a berry and fruit mass, carefully shake and tightly close the jar. The filling will be ready in a week. It will need to be thoroughly cleaned of thick and sediment. A thick alcoholic drink will greatly help during the preparation of desserts and baking. Cake cakes with such an impregnation cause general delight and surprise.
Recipe 4. Pouring cranberries at home, with cognac and pear
The most important tone in the recipe for this liquor is not even set by cranberries, or cognac. In order for homemade cranberry liqueur to have a unique aroma, it is important to choose the variety of the most delicious pear. And pears can create an unforgettable taste. Of course, the aroma champion is Duchess. But, if you can’t get this sort of pear, then Carolla, Fragrant or Irista with a nutmeg smell will do. If these varieties are not found, you can use any of the juiciest and sweetest pears, adding essence with the aroma of a pear.
Composition:
• Pears 3.5 kg
• 1.3 kg frozen cranberries
• Refined sugar 1.7 kg
• Cognac 2.4 l
• Fruit essence (flavoring) "Duchesse" 10 mg
Cooking:
Cranberries and sugar will help to get pure and clarified pear juice. Remove from the pears only seeds and "tails". Mix chopped fruits with mashed cranberries. All this must be covered with cognac and mix thoroughly. Over the next two weeks, the contents of the bottle daily mix. Under the influence of sugar and brandy juice will come out of the fruit, and the remnants of the pulp will settle to the bottom of the jar. Drain the top of the liquor into a separate bowl. Throw away the thicken through a sieve previously lined with a cotton-gauze filter. Do not wring out. Combine the first and second parts of the tincture, adding fruit extract if necessary. A month after exposure, check the liqueur. Most likely, you will have to remove the sediment again. Seal the finished beverage in bottles.
Recipe 5. Pouring cranberries at home with thyme
Composition:
• Cranberries 750 g
• Thyme 50g
• Vodka 250 ml and 100 ml
• Sugar 220 g
Cooking:
Since, from ancient times, thyme (thyme) has been confidently occupying a leading position in religious rituals, traditional medicine, herbal medicine and is generally constantly present in everyday life, it would be unfair not to share the elixir recipe based on cranberry juice and thyme.
Remove the “ponytails” from the cranberries, sort through and chop the berries with a needle, then connect it with thyme and vodka. Bank close and put away in a dark place. To sustain three weeks at room temperature. Drain the resulting tincture and cover the berries with sugar and pour the remaining vodka into them. Shake well and hold for another three weeks, periodically repeating shaking. Drain the sweet juice and combine it with the tincture obtained as a result of the first drain. Set aside for 3 weeks again. Filling is ready and it can be poured into prepared bottles or decanters.
Recipe 6. Pouring cranberries at home, with mango and chocolate liqueur
For filling:
• Mango 2 pcs. (800 - 900 g)
• Cranberries 700 g
• Red orange 1 kg
• Wine alcohol 350 ml
• Sugar 2.8 kg
For chocolate liqueur:
• Milk (or cream) 0.25 L
• Sugar 0.3 kg
• Cocoa 100 g
• Vanilla 5 g
• Rum 0.5 l
• Yolks 4 pcs.
Cooking:
Cranberries, mango and oranges
Pouring and chocolate liqueur is a great duo, although each drink is interesting in its own right. Serving them to dessert together or separately is a personal matter.
Let's start with the liqueur. Rather, with mango. The ripe mango fruit is very tender and juicy, therefore it is difficult to meet fruits ripened under the tropical sun on the shelves of the supermarket. They are brought from India in a semi-ripe stage, green and with firm pulp. But even in this form, mango is an incredibly healthy fruit. More precisely, the berry, whose weight reaches 400 g. To make it easier to get the juice, the mango fruit must first be frozen. We exclude the method of heating immediately so as not to lose valuable vitamins. By the way, cranberries also, after defrosting, give juice better and become sweeter. Frozen thawed cranberries and mangoes through a sieve. The grate of the sieve should not be too frequent so that the mash does not clog the holes. Remove the zest from the oranges, squeeze the juice out of the pulp separately and send it all into the berry puree along with half the sugar specified in the recipe. We leave the resulting wort for fermentation, and a week later, when it starts to “play”, we seal it from the air. Young wine, aged, removed from the sediment is sealed with wine spirit to stop the yeast. From the remaining sugar we prepare a thick syrup: dissolve the sugar (1.4 kg) in 0.5 l of purified water, bring the syrup to a boil. Combine the cooled syrup with wine and ship the bottle for aging, for two months.
Chocolate liquor
Beat the yolks with sugar and vanilla until sugar is completely dissolved. Introduce cocoa into the yolk mass and mix until smooth. In boiling cream or natural milk (homemade), add whipped yolks with continuous stirring. Put the brewed cream from the heat to cool by adding vanilla. When the cream becomes warm enter rum. Liqueur should get a thick, creamy consistency. Therefore, the amount of added rum is adjusted accordingly.
Recipe 7. Pouring cranberries at home, with bitterness
Composition:
• Spices: ginger, wormwood, anise, hibiscus;
• Cranberries, frozen 2.5 kg
• Raisin 200-300 g
• Water 1.7 l
• Vodka 3 l
• Sugar 4 kg
Cooking:
Pour raisins (unwashed) with warm water (200 ml) and leave them warm for about a week to ferment. We grind the thawed cranberries and add to it the fermented raisins with a liquid and two kilograms of sugar. We put the cookware with a must in the heat and, having waited for it to ferment, pour it into the bottle, covering it with a rubber-punctured glove. While we are waiting for the preparation of cranberry wine, we insist on ginger, anise, wormwood and hibiscus on vodka (Karkade tea). Tincture should be stored for a couple of weeks without access to light. After that, the tincture must be filtered. Ready wine, without signs of fermentation, defend, remove from sediment by decantation. First, add tincture to avoid repeated fermentation, and then add the rest of the sugar, kneading it until it is completely dissolved. We maintain pouring 8-10 weeks.
Recipe 8. Pouring cranberries at home, classic
Composition:
• Sugar
• Cranberries
• Vodka (diluted alcohol) 40%
• Water
Cooking:
The ratio of ingredients should be as follows: vodka, sugar and cranberries - 1 part, water - ½ part. Mash cranberries slightly. Syrup is made from sugar and water. Combine all ingredients in a container of suitable volume, close tightly, mix and remove in a dark place.Do not forget to shake the jar daily for a month. After the expiration of the aging period, carefully strain the filling and pour into prepared bottles.
Pouring cranberries at home - tricks and tips
• To filter the liquids, do not resort to squeezing the grounds through the filter. Have patience, and let the liquid flow arbitrarily: since the liquor will initially be more transparent.
• Ensure that green or rotten fruit is not accidentally caught while making the liqueur. One poor-quality berry can ruin all the work.
• As a rule, liquors are stored in dishes made of dark or opaque glass. Take care of the storage container in advance. You should also consider the question of capping: prepare strong plugs, lids, sealing wax.
• Qualitatively prepared liquors can be stored for up to three years at room temperature.
It is said that Santa Claus himself invented the cranberry liqueur in his Lapland, and therefore it is considered the New Year and Christmas attribute of the festive table.
If you believe in miracles, then they will happen sooner or later. Do not forget to put on the festive table a scarlet color of the most northern berry, so that all your wishes will be fulfilled.
