This week, I started to think about one of my dreaded end-of-summer chores: cleaning up the garden.

Aside from all the weeding, pruning, and plucking, I needed to figure out what I’m doing with all my mint. Our front garden is positively overrun with a few different kinds—from traditional peppermint, to run-of-the-mill spearmint and the Lady Otter’s special Kentucky Colonel mint.

I came to one of my standard conclusions: What better way to preserve this minty bounty than by infusing it into some kind of luscious cordial.

So I set about making my first-ever bottle of peppermint schnapps tonight. Technically, it’s a mix of mints. If my timing is right, it should be done just about in time for the beginning of the holiday season.

I did a little research online, and a lot of the recipes I came across consisted of a combination of alcohol, corn syrup, and peppermint extract. While I’m sure this is a potent brew, using artificial flavoring would definitely defeat my purpose.

Here’s the recipe I’ve noodled out. It’s based loosely on other cordials I’ve made in the past, like my Sweet & Sunny Lemon Drop Liquor. I’m aiming for a sweet-but-not-too-sweet cordial that will be a nice addition to hot chocolate, coffee, and baked goods. Oh, and cocktails, of course.

I’ll update in a few weeks to let you know how it’s turning out.

A note on ingredients & method
As with any infusion, use quality vodka and fantastically fresh mint leaves.

For more information on making homemade cordials, including food safety tips, take a peek at my article on how to properly infuse your booze.

The Lady Otter’s Royal Mint Schnapps

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 cups whole mint leaves, loosely packed
1 750-ml bottle good vodka

Rinse the mint leaves
Rinse the mint leaves really well. Set aside to drain.

Make a simple syrup
In a medium sauce pan, whisk the sugar and water together over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is totally dissolved.

Remove from heat and set aside until completely cool.

Combine & set to steep
Put the mint leaves in a sterilized jar.

Add the vodka and cooled sugar syrup. Stir with a sterilized spoon to combine.

Cover tightly and set aside in a dark place for about three to four weeks, shaking the jar occasionally to rouse up the mint leaves.

Bottle your schnapps
Taste your schnapps after about three weeks.

If it’s not sweet enough for you, make another batch of simple syrup (with a one-to-one ratio of sugar to water), and add it slowly (you can’t get it out once you put it in) until it’s just right for you.

When you’re happy with the flavor, strain and bottle it.

Should keep for about a year (if it lasts) in a cool, dark place.

***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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Contrary to yesterday’s Bee’s Kiss, though, my Lemon Drop liquor is light and refreshing. It’s a great late-summer-lazy-day-sitting-in-the-yard-waiting-for-the-barbecue-to-be-done kind of drink. If you start a bottle early this week, it’ll be ready in plenty of time for your Labor Day festivities.

I love lemonade, so I guess it’s no surprise that I’ve also always been a big fan of the Lemon Drop cocktail. It’s sweet with just the right amount of pucker.

A few years back, I decided to adapt the drink into something yummy I could have sitting on my bar year round. If you’ve ever had limoncello (Italian lemon liquor), that’s basically what this is.

Making fruit-infused vodkas and liquors is super easy to do. It’s a fun project. The jars look nice sitting on the counter. And you can’t beat the flavor.

Before you start, take a peek at my fruit-infused liquor primer for a little background and quick notes on general technique and food safety.

I’ll never forget the first time I made this. My hands were red and raw from zesting a dozen lemons. You won’t often hear me say this, but put on a pair of rubber gloves before you tackle this one. You’ll be glad you did.

This liquor is also a more-than-acceptable substitution for lemon juice in certain recipes where you don’t mind a little bit of sugar or kick.

Sweet & Sunny Lemon Drop Liquor

8-12 large lemons, washed and dried
4 cups vodka
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 cups water

Zest your lemons, avoiding the bitter white pith. You can pretty much use any kind of zester or grater to do this. I think the first time I made this, I used one of the smaller sides of a box grater. The goal is to get small, thin pieces of lemon peel without losing too much of the lemon’s essential oils.

Put the lemon zest into a large, sterilized glass jar. Pour in the vodka and give it a swish to combine.

Cover the jar tightly and set it aside in a cool place for 2 to 4 days. When the lemon zest turns pale and the vodka has turned a brilliant yellow, strain the zest out and store the vodka in large bowl.

Next, make a simple syrup. Put the water and sugar into your largest saucepan or stew pot. Whisk together. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Pour the syrup into the vodka. Whisk to combine. Taste and bottle. Keeps well for about a year in a cool, dark place.

***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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I know the whole fruit infusion thing has been done to death in higher-end bars the last few years, but it’s still one of my favorite ways to keep local berry flavor around all year.

Here’s how.

Gather your equipment
You’ll need fresh fruit, a bottle of your favorite liquor, and a little patience. It’s not necessarily much cheaper than hitting the package store, but you can’t beat the quality of the cordial—or the boasting rights to making your own booze.

* Large, tempered glass jar
* Wine bottles or canning jars
* Labels
* Sealing wax (optional)
* Funnel
* Ladle
* Strainer
* Cheesecloth
* Fruit
* High-proof liquor (vodka, tequila, etc.)
* Bar sugar (optional)

Pick your ingredients
Chances are, if you like it, other people will, too. I usually use what’s in season—and test my ideas first by soaking a mini-batch for a few days. You can finetune your recipe, and you don’t waste a lot of ingredients if you’re not crazy about how your creation tastes.

Want to make peach brandy? Hit an orchard and let the fruit sit on the counter until it hits peak ripeness. Also, don’t rule out savory or spicy ingredients. I like to use dried Chinese chilis for a hot pepper vodka (the longer these steep, the hotter your drink will get) to use in Bloody Marys. Here’s the one I have going right now:

Infuse your booze
1. Sterilize a large, tempered glass jar with boiling water, and add your fruit
Wash your fruit and pat it dry with paper towels. If you’re using berries, pick out any stems and bruised pieces. For larger fruit, chunk it up, discarding any pits or seeds. There can be a lot of flavor in a peel or rind—especially with citrus fruits—but leaving it on is your call. If you keep it, avoid a toxic cocktail and consider going organic and pesticide-free.

2. Add your liquor
Layer your fruit in the bottom of your jar, and cover with your alcohol of choice. For a sweeter cordial, add a little instant-dissolving bar sugar. When in doubt, skip it. You can always add sugar later, but once it’s in there, you can’t get it out.

3. Cover your jar and set it aside
Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside in a cool, dark place. Every few days, check on your concoction and shake the jar a little to mix it up.

When is it ready?
Trust your nose—and your taste buds—on this one. I usually start tasting after about a week. Your liquor will have taken on a little—or a lot—of the fruit’s color. In general, the more delicate the fruit, the less time it will take to give up all its flavor and color. Berries are usually spent after a week, while citrus and stone fruits can be soaked for a month—or longer.

Bottle It
Taste your creation one last time before you bottle it to make sure you really like it.

1. Sterilize your bottles with boiling water.
2. Line a regular metal kitchen strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Ladle your infusion into the strainer, pressing the fruit with the back of the ladle to squeeze out the last bits of juice.
3. Pour the strained concoction through a funnel into the sterilized bottles
4. Seal with corks or screw caps, and store in a cool, dark place. Some cordials greatly improve after they’ve aged for a month or two.

A note on food safety (or, how to not poison yourself or your friends)
A few things to be mindful of:

1. Use a high-proof liquor, like vodka.
2. Inspect your fruit, and toss any pieces that are bruised.
3. Use super clean hands, bowls, and utensils, and sterilize your containers by boiling them.
4. Use all your common senses: If your infusion looks funky or smells like you wouldn’t want to drink it, don’t.

Because you’re using strong alcohol, your chances of running into trouble are probably less than with traditional canning. But since I’m not an expert on canning or preserving by a long shot, you can read more about food safety from the good folks at the USDA.
***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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Merriam Webster defines a ratafia as “a liqueur made from an infusion of macerated fruit or fruit juice in a liquor (as brandy) and often flavored with almonds.”

Now, this recipe doesn’t have almonds in it, but the cracked peach kernels give a remarkably almond-y flavor. The kernel is the tiny little nugget inside the peach pit. Oddly enough, it’s kind of almond shaped. Peach-kernel oil is also used as an ingredient in some cosmetics and lotions.

One note about making your own cordials: Always start with a base liquor that you like. Whatever you add to it will change its flavor, but won’t improve the basic quality of the booze you use.

Peach Ratafia

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup water
3 cups sliced, peeled peaches (you’ll need about 1.5-2 lbs. of whole fruit)
peach pits from the peaches you use
1/8 tsp. ground mace or nutmeg
1 quart brandy or vodka

For this recipe, you’ll need a jar big enough to hold both the alcohol and the fruit you add to it. Before you get going, wash your jar out and rinse it with boiling water to sterilize it.

Start by making a sugar syrup with the white sugar, brown sugar, and water. Combine them all, then simmer it on the stove until the sugars are totally dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Next, crack the peach pits open and remove the kernels. This is the only part of the pit you’ll be using, so you can toss the rest. I do this by putting the pits in a zip-top bag one at a time and hitting them with a hammer or rolling pin.

Now it’s time to assemble your Ratafia. Add your fruit to the jar, then pour the cooled sugar syrup over it. Sprinkle in the nutmeg or mace (whichever you like better) and pour in your bottle of brandy or vodka. Swish the container around to combine everything, then cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Let your Ratafia sit for at least a month in a cool, dark place. Swish the container every once in a while to stir things up. I start tasting after about 3 weeks. When you like the flavor, strain and bottle in sterilized bottles or jars.

***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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