Cascara Liqueur Recipe

In my mad scientist flavor creation days at Eastside Distilling, I had a long conversation with Mark Stell the owner of Portland Roasting, the company I chose to supply coffee for the Below Deck Coffee Rum.  In that conversation he remarked about the coffee fruit known as Cascara.  The fruit is apparently high in antioxidants and is left over after the coffee bean is extracted.  I tried several plain maceration recipes, but the dried fruit is very tough and would not let go of its rich flavors easily.  Enter the Magic Butter Machine!

Ingredients

• 2½ cups/750 ml vodka (Portland Potato Vodka is my fav)
• ½ cup/80 ml sugar or agave nectar
• 1 cup of dried Cascara fruit

How To

Because the Cascara fruit is so tough, almost leathery we need to soak it.  In a mason jar or other sealed vessel, soak the Cascara in the vodka for one week. After one week pour the vodka and Cascara solution into your Magical Butter machine. Add the sugar. Press the Temperature button, and select 160ºF/71°C; then press the 1 Hour/Oil button. Allow the infusion to cool; then carefully strain it into the container. 

cascara liqueur

This version is sweet but not syrupy sweet, so if you like your liqueurs sweeter simply add more sugar and remove some vodka. This liqueur has wonderful flavors of dried fruit, raisin, date and hibiscus with a lasting sweet tannic bitter finish.  The Cascara has a unique flavor profile, one I think anyone can enjoy.

The Liquorist

Review Zircon Azul Plata Tequila

The Jaime family has been growing agave in Mexico for more than 100 years.  Starting with Pascual Jaime supervising the Sauza family plantation from 1905 to 1935. After the Mexican revolution, he was granted a parcel of land and started growing blue agave in the volcanic highlands of Arandas, Jalisco.  Zircon Azul is the current version of this very old family recipe

The nose of Zircon Azon Plata is ripe pineapple sweet with hints of green and white pepper.  You can certainly smell the sweetness of the agave with a slight vegetal greenness and spice at the end.  A nicely balanced combination.

The mid-palate is fresh agave, with a hint of spicy nutmeg and a mineral quality.  Zircon Azul Plata finishes lightly dry, smooth with peppery heat and a balance of fresh fruit and spice.  With its complexity and balance, this is obviously a high-quality tequila worth sipping neat or with an ice cube.

Zircon Azul

Cruzan Aged Rum with used Whiskey Elements

Today’s experiment involves used Time & Oak elements.  I started off with a single element used in whiskey for 48 hours.  I decided to use Cruzan Aged Rum for my experiment.  Cruzan Aged Rum is my go-to mixer rum and although it says aged there’s no statement, and it is rather light, so I doubt it spends much time is barrels, but it is lightly sweet and overall just a great rum for cocktails.

I had the element in for 12 hours, and it added a nice light spiciness.

After 24 hours it added a bit of dryness on the finish with a light oak flavor.

48 hours in added flavors of rice pudding and sawdust. A little bit funky but that’s okay for rum.

Then I decided to get all crazy, and I added two more used elements for the last 24 hours for a total of 72 hours of aging.  This added lots of nice color and flavors of caramel, and toasted oak.

A fun experiment as I had been wondering what several elements will do it once, especially used ones. I would say this was a modest success. My general experience is that the elements work better with something that a little more age or color to it and I think this rum is a little bit young for this experiment, so I’m going try something older for the next experiment. The elements improved the character and made it taste more mature and added a lot of flavors to it.
THE LIQUORIST