Making cherry blossom liqueur is the perfect project for spring, when the cherry trees burst into bloom and blossoms are abundant. This liqueur has a very delicate floral aroma that is best when sipped cold without ice. It also works well as a flavoring for fritters or crepes.
Cherry Blossom Liqueur
Ingredients
- 1.5 bottles vodka (good quality (about 1.25 liters total))
- 8 cups cherry blossoms (freshly picked)
- 70g sugar
- .15l water
Preparation
| 1. | Sort through the flowers to make sure that all leaves, withered blossoms, stems etc are removed. Put the blossoms into a clean glass container large enough to hold them easily. Cover with the vodka, and put a clean glass or stainless weight on the top of the blossoms so that they remain submerged. |
| 2. | Cover the container with an airtight cover and leave in a dark, cool place for 15 days. |
| 3. | Remove the cover and the weight from the jar. Strain the vodka off the flowers through a fine conical strainer lined with cheesecloth. Wash and dry the jar, discarding the blossoms and return the strained vodka to the jar. |
| 4. | Mix together the sugar and the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let stand 1 minute. Boil again. Strain this syrup into the vodka. Cover tightly (note at this point you may put the liqueur in a clean bottle and cork it, if you wish) and leave in a cool, dark place for 6 months to mellow. |
| 5. | Enjoy this delicately flavored liqueur as a digestif or with fruit desserts. |
sounds intriguing! I don’t see the measurements given for the water and sugar (?)
For sweetening the alcohol, I use a syrup with a 2 to 1 1 ratio of water to sugar. The amount of syrup you use depends on how sweet you like your alcohol. For an aperitif, or liqueur, I like more sweetness, for a digestif, I like less. I would start by adding syrup equal to about 1/4 of the volume of the vodka after straining, then add more to your taste.
Thanks! Do I understand correctly? did you say a 2 to 11 ratio (!), or a 2 to 1 ratio (which is more common) ?
Hey Jim call me dumb but what kind of syrup/ or how much water and sugar to bring to boil. Im not good with the 2-1 guessing ratio We got everything BUT ? what syrup or just plain sugar and the water amounts of H20 and sugar. Thanks Jim we are prime and ready to go. Linden all picked nicely. Thanks
I use organic sugar and tap water. You can also use plain white sugar or raw sugar. Remember that the darker your sugar, the more it will darken the color of the alcohol. Plain white sugar is lighter than organic sugar, but I find that the taste of organic sugar is better so the color is warranted for the better flavor.
sorry 2 to 1
jd
super! (must be roman numeral 2!) I have a big old linden tree in my back yard, and love the smell all over town in early summer, and just realized last year where it was coming from. have pegged your post and plan to try harvesting blossoms this year. fingers crossed. thanks again for your help! cheers from Atlantic Canada. (I’m north of Maine, in New Brunswick, at the head of the Bay of Fundy.)