Homemade Red Rowanberry Vodka Liqueur
Beautiful color, lovely aroma, and an unforgettable taste! Plus plenty of health benefits when used medicinally. This liqueur goes down easy and smooth — I'd even call it more of a ladies' drink for pleasant get-togethers, though it earns respect from the men too.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
Gather your ingredients. Always use good-quality vodka for any liqueur, since these are often used medicinally. For the best flavor, it's recommended to pick the rowanberries after the first frost, when they turn softer and a little sweeter.
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Step 2:
Pull the rowanberries off their clusters and sort through them, discarding any spoiled or unripe ones.
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Step 3:
Rinse them well under cool running water, let them drain, and pat dry on a towel.
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Step 4:
Then I spread them on a tray and freeze them for a day — this is for when the rowanberries were picked before the frost. Freezing loosens the structure of the berries so they release their juice much better. That's why berries should be frozen before making any liqueur.
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Step 5:
Without thawing them, rinse the berries with cool water in a colander and let them drain. Then crush them lightly, keeping the berries mostly whole. Crushing them too finely makes the finished liqueur very cloudy and means several rounds of filtering; this way the berries still give up plenty of juice, but the drink stays clearer. You can crush them right in the jar, but I find it easier in a wide bowl — I give the berries one more quality check, then transfer them.
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Step 6:
Make the syrup: stir the sugar into boiling water and let it boil, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes. Pour the hot syrup over the berries in the jar and let it cool completely, uncovered.
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Step 7:
Pour the vodka into the cooled syrup and berries and stir. Seal tightly and set it in a dark spot at room temperature to infuse for three weeks. Remember to shake the jar every 2–3 days.
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Step 8:
After 21 days, filter the liqueur through several layers of cheesecloth, pour it into a bottle, and refrigerate it for at least 2–3 weeks to let the flavor settle. The longer it sits, the richer its flavor and aroma become. Then you can sip it as a drink, add it to tea, or take it to help fend off colds and ward off general fatigue.
- The red rowan is a beautiful tree, long believed to bring happiness to the home, which is why it's so often planted in front gardens. But it's prized for more than its looks: those orange berries can be made into fruit drinks, tea, liqueurs, decoctions, cordials, jam, jelly, juice, marinades, candies, and even honey. In liqueur form, red rowanberry has a pleasant aroma and a mild taste — a real find for fans of tasty homemade spirits. Vodka, food-grade alcohol, double-distilled moonshine, or brandy can all be used to make rowan liqueur. Keep in mind that rowanberry, for all its benefits, can also be harmful. It's not recommended for those with peptic ulcers or high-acidity gastritis; for pregnant or nursing women; for those with varicose veins; for anyone who has had a heart attack or stroke; for people prone to blood clots; or for those with low or unstable blood pressure. Rowanberry has anti-inflammatory, choleretic, laxative, diuretic, hemostatic, diaphoretic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and tonic properties. Rowanberries picked before the first frost contain more nutrients and keep longer, but frost takes away some of their bitterness and makes them more pleasant to eat.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Vodka - 235 kcal/100g
- Water - 0 kcal/100g
- Red Mountain Ash - 43 kcal/100g
