Loki and other Liquers

[bellevivre]

So the post above is a useful starting block, but I'd live to hear about your hits and misses in the realm of liqueur making.

For TRF this year, I plan on making (in the next few weeks):

Apple Pie Loki
Nutella Loki
and POSSIBLY small batches of
Hibiscus or Ginger

I dont want your recipes- that's half the fun, figuring it out!

[*Teach*]

My greatest misses have been
-Lemonade- Tried using real fruit... bad plan.... they never really settled out and never really tasted like it was supposed to. Still have some in a jar, it has become a project to wait it out as long as possible to see what the flavor will become lol
-Came up with a great plan to use sno-cone flavorings. No. Not only was the flavoring to strong (and just bizarre) but they would turn anything spilled on into whatever color the flavor was... permanently.
-Chocolate (my first time) used melted milk chocolate. Bad idea. Choc seperated out as it settled and had just the weirdest texture.
-Assorted Flavors of weirdness. Occasionally I just come up with an idea of "Well hey, I bet this would make a great loki flavor" and then... all I get are strange looks when I ask if people want to try them. Sour Apple was probably the one that got the most odd looks... i thought that was a good idea...

*Rum flavored is still the weirdest thing. As I have said before... why not just drink rum?*

[bellevivre]

why is Sour Apple wierd? Hello, Sour Apple Pucker anyone?

I would drink it!!!

And the lemonade- how were you doing the organics? Giada de Laurentiis has a Lemoncello recipe that could translate well to Loki...

[*Teach*]

I never really cared for the recipes that Giada uses, but I will check into that.
Basically what I tried (and failed at) was using the homemade lemonade that I make all the time (and lurves) and combining that with the syrup and everclear.
The main problem is I like my lemonade a little pulpy and that... made nasty loki lol
Not good to have stuff floating around in your booze

The pucker was the reason I thought Sour Apple would be a hit... no one even wanted to try lol

*I wonder what sour apple and rum would be like...*

[bellevivre]

I think with lemoncello you use the rind instead pf the pulp- that may have been the wierdness...

this site: http://patty.vox.com/library/post/homemade-limoncello-when-life-gives-you-lemons.html

has a pretty in-depth how-to.

Sour Apple Rum... hmmm... OOH- if it was SPICED rum!!!

[Blue66669]

Oh man... we were hard up for flavoring, and decided to try jello pudding powder..... BIG MISTAKE. It was the desperation that did it!

Oh, and the watermelon. It's been a year- it's STILL like gasoline!

[bellevivre]

double filtered the alien wine last night- there was so much lime in it it was undrinkable... so, tonight I'll add some sugar and see how that has mellowed now that the leftover solids/oils have filtered out.

Need to decant/filter the nutella- I'm not sure if i need to add back soem hazelnut flavor yet or not...

How are your batches coming?

[DonaCatalina]

Orange cinnamon using real fruit was my biggest mistake. I think the citric acid just doesn't age well.
I did Cinnamon Pear one year. The taste was fabulous but I got could never get it to clear up very well. It ended up effervescing into Champear.

[Muffin]

Hey Teach!! The Sour Apple works!! We use it in one of our many concoctions and it is always a big hit!! Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum!!!

A few that have failed.........

Tried using Strawberry Daquiri mix it was so thick and gross.. Just wrong.. so very wrong...

Our Cherry loki usually tastes good right away and then morphs itself into a Cough Syrpy glass of yuck.. There are a few who like it, maybe they were the ones who would break into our garage as a kid and steal my Dad's sale/sample Robitussin... Hmmmmm?  

Also tried using Long Island Iced tea mix.. Called that one Captain's Island.. The Captain can keep his island.. That one will give you a case of the barfs for sure!  

I am on the fence about our Rootbeer flavor... There's just something weird about it to me...

I would have to say though, my favorites that we have made are the Butter Rum, the Hot Damn, and the Cinnamon Apple... They are full of yummyness!!

Have a few new flavors brewing.. Can't wait to see what we come up this time!!!  

[bellevivre]

DonaCatalina- i know I shouldnt ask, but would you mind sharing the details on that ChamPear? it just sounds DIVINE! Like a spicy, sweeter perry cider?

[DonaCatalina]

I share recipes....I have no big secrets.
4 medium red Pears (green ones aren't sweet enough)
1lb Sugar, dissolved in 2 cups distilled water
600ml (1 pint) Vodka
1 Whole white peppercorn
1 tsp Ground cinnamon

Remove seeds and dice pears.
Place the pear pieces in a glass jar.
Put peppercorn and cinnamon in fine cheese cloth,
tie closed tightly and put in jar.
Add vodka, cover, and leave for 2 weeks.
Strain through a muslin cloth and add sugar solution.
Leave until clear.

Now like I said, mine never went completely clear even with filtering. The champange effect
was caused by the high sugar content as well as the natural yeast that was on the fruit.
If you want to achieve that effect on purpose, use a vintner's yeast that is available from a vintner's supply.
Do not use champagne yeast because the pear doesn't have the body to stand up to that and it will turn vinegary. Personally I would not recommend adding yeast.

[bellevivre]

so pears are skin on- silly question- I'm assuming you'd wash the pears, but wouldn't that eliminate the natural yeasts?

[DonaCatalina]

Skin on....You can wash them, but the skin still carries some residue.

[bellevivre]

I'm definitely going to try this- maybe cloves and peppercorns (have an allergy to cinnamon)

OH! lol this brings me up to 4 flavors now... how long before the effervescence happened? what would you judge would be the shelf life after that?

[DonaCatalina]

I'm definitely going to try this- maybe cloves and peppercorns (have an allergy to cinnamon)

OH! lol this brings me up to 4 flavors now... how long before the effervescence happened? what would you judge would be the shelf life after that?

It was about 8 months before it started effervesing. Actually unscrewed the lid and blew out some corks.. About a year later what was left started turning to vinegar.