Recipe: Creme De Prunelle Liqueur

Another recipe comes out of one of my favorite books of all time Classic Liqueurs; inspired by a French Liqueur made from wild plums.

1 1/2 lbs dried pitted prunes, cut into halves
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups vodka (I used Monopolova)
1 1/2 cups brandy (I used Paul Masson)

Place cut prunes in an aging container.  Add, sugar, vodka and brandy; stirring well to combine.  Cap and place in a cool place for one month.  Stir weekly to dissolve sugar.

Creme De Prunelle

After initial aging, pour liquid through a wire strainer placed over a large mixing bowl.  Press liqueur juices from prunes with the back of a wooden spoon.  Remove prunes from the liqueur.  Prunes may be saved for cooking, or I ate them on ice cream.  Re-strain using a coffee filter or cheesecloth.  Bottle and let age for two more months for the flavors to meld.


I know what you are thinking, why prune liqueur?  Well, sometimes you just try and see what happens.  Not only was I pleasantly surprised, frankly, but I was also amazed at how tasty the prune and brandy flavors are.  Sweet and yet savory this liqueur would certainly cook well with pork and other meats.

Great Cocktail:

Angel's Wing
1/2 oz Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Creme de Prunelle

Pour gently in order so the liqueurs do not mix.  Pour a little sweet cream on top.


The Liquorist Blog

Review: Pendleton Canadian Whiskey with Time & Oak

Pendleton is an above average Canadian Whisky, very smooth and lightly sweet, unlike many that are very sweet. Pendleton’s aged longer than most in it’s price range, which is why it is more complex and less sweet.

The whisky is very toasted oak forward, malty sweet, roasted pecan and lightly tannic with the slight heat on the finish at 36 hours.

Two days in the signature whiskey element oakiness smooths out, with an added cinnamon heat and black liquorice flavors.

Pendleton Canadian Whiskey with Time & Oak

Finally at three days, the element flavors are oak funky, almost peaty, burnt caramel sweet with a smooth smokey finish.

This did not have the dramatic effect as we experienced with Crown Royal, but this is a higher quality whisky to start with.  If you are a scotch fan, this is a definite try.

The Liquorist Blog

Recipe: Hen's Milk Italian Liqueur

I received a wonderful Christmas present The Bible of Homemade Italian Liqueurs.  A wonderful collection of over 150 recipes with super cool names Drunken Black Cherries Cream, Dried Figs and Truffles Liqueur, Red Roses Rosolio and more!  Just the names are enough to excite me about this book.

Being the wild and crazy kind of guy I am, I decided to make the first recipe I opened to, which was Hen's Milk Liqueur.

Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup of 190 proof alcohol (I used Everclear)
- 1 liter of milk
- 4 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 cup of Marsala Wine

Hen's Milk Liqueur

Boil the milk with the vanilla and sugar.  I took the liberty of splitting the vanilla bean down the middle as most recipes call for. Let cool. Beat the egg yolks (make sure you have a big bowl to handle everything). Pour in a little milk at a time on the whipped yolks, stirring.  Beat the mixture until the milk and eggs are well mixed.  Add the Marsala Wine and Everclear. Bottle and let rest for two days.  Keep refrigerated for up to a month.

The result is a concoction similar to eggnog but very different.  The flavors are sugary vanilla and hazelnut with a lightly spicy finish.

Drizzle over fruit for dessert or add one part hen's milk to three parts rum or brandy for a creamy dessert drink. Piu eccellente!

The Liquorist Blog