Plum Liqueur
September 12th, 2015.
When I was at a loss with what to do with couple of pounds of cherries that our overnight guests had left behind by mistake, a fellow blogger (Sayantani of a homamakersdiary) suggested that I make cherry liqueur with them. Since we had to go to Kolkata suddenly, that plan got stalled. But the idea stuck. By the time we came back from Kolkata and settled down again, cherries were gone for the season! For a while I toyed with the idea of making raspberry cordial inspired by a very favorite book - Anne of Green Gables, but an alcoholic version. I bought some raspberries but ended up making these Oatmeal Banana Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins instead.
Then I thought, why not plum liqueur! I love the Japanese Plum wine - Choya Umeshu and have a sneaking feeling that I am totally going to love this one too!
So this time I bought plums. Or rather I bought 2 lbs of plums instead of 1lb that I used for the recipe as I knew that I would end up snacking on those!
This is what the jars looked like when I soaked the plums.
- Plums - 1 lb, red or black
- Granulated Sugar - 1 Cup
- Vodka - 1 Cup
- Brandy - 1/4 Cup
Gently wash the plums and pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut and pit. I chopped mine into smaller pieces, you can just cut yours into halves. I used mason jars as aging containers. Feel free to use whatever aging container you have on hand. Wash and dry your aging containers before using.
Place the pitted and chopped/halved plums in the aging container and add the sugar. Stir. Now pour in the vodka and the brandy. Stir some more till the sugar partly dissolves. Screw the cap on tight and place the container in a cool, dark place for about 2 months. Stir occasionally.
After 2 months, using a strainer or cloth over a bowl or a glass measuring cup, strain the liquid. Using the back of a spoon press as much liquid possible from the plum. Throw away the pulp. Or DON'T. I loved popping them in my mouth every now and then!
Now strain once again using a cloth and repeat the process till the liqueur turns clear. Pour into a bottle and store. Aging it for another month will enhance the flavors more!
Update: December 15th, 2015
Yup, I successfully aged it for 3 months, and it was ready, right on time for the Holidays!
Update: 18th January 2016
The holidays are over and my plum liqueur is still aging. I got distracted with all the baking and prepping for house guests during the holidays. Then started the prep for our Hawaii Vacation.
Update: February 2016
Came back from the vacation, rejuvenated! But once again forgot all about the plum liqueur which has been nicely maturing in the pantry.
Update: April 2016
The plum liqueur is ready, tried and tasted. And at last photographed!
Now strain once again using a cloth and repeat the process till the liqueur turns clear. Pour into a bottle and store. Aging it for another month will enhance the flavors more!
Update: December 15th, 2015
Yup, I successfully aged it for 3 months, and it was ready, right on time for the Holidays!
Update: 18th January 2016
The holidays are over and my plum liqueur is still aging. I got distracted with all the baking and prepping for house guests during the holidays. Then started the prep for our Hawaii Vacation.
Update: February 2016
Came back from the vacation, rejuvenated! But once again forgot all about the plum liqueur which has been nicely maturing in the pantry.
Update: April 2016
The plum liqueur is ready, tried and tasted. And at last photographed!
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