Homemade Currant or Raisin Liqueur (Meilach) Recipe

Miscellaneous Untried Recipes

This is from a collection of recipes from books I own, but which I haven't myself tried yet. However, you can have faith that at least the authors themselves have tried them, so they're not deadly or anything.

From Homemade Liqueurs by Dona and Mel Meilach:

Double the sugar for Crème de Cassis. You can divide this recipe and make half cassis and half crème de cassis. Crème de cassis is commercially made with brandy, but it is also delicious made with vodka. Save strained fruits for desserts.

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup dried currants or raisins [see notes for fresh]
• 2 cups vodka or brandy
• 3/4 cup sugar syrup

Boil 1 cup water. Add dried currants or raisins. Cover, turn off head and let currants plump in hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain off water.

[I expect, if you've got fresh currants, you can ignore the above and start here, since your berries are already plump. However my instinct says to crush them.]

Place currants and alcohol in a tightly closed jar and steep for 1 week. Shake jar occasionally during steeping. Strain and filter. Add enough sugar syrup for cassis, or more for crème de cassis, to your taste. Mature for 2 weeks.