Applicious liqueur

Apple liqueur is divine! We love it neat, diluted with lemonade or as a component in a cocktail – Applicious Martini anyone?

It is worth spending time filtering your liqueur to ensure it is crystal clear; our Applicious just cries “drink me!”:

This liqueur is soooooo smooth! We are definitely going to experiment with sharper apples (probably a mix of Granny Smiths and Bramleys) because some drinkers found it a little sweet – rather like a dessert wine. However, I have a sweet tooth and it was perfect for me!

Here’s what you need:

5 eating apples – we used Gala for their sweetness but if you prefer tart apples go for Granny Smith
1 lemon’s peel
1 ½ cups vodka (we used Smirnoff Blue)
½ cup Polish pure spirit
1 ½ cups sugar syrup

NB. If you don’t wish to use Polish pure spirit, simply replace it with extra vodka.

Core the apples then coarsely chop – there is no need to peel the apples. Place in a kilner jar and add the lemon peel.

Add the vodka and seal the jar.

Place jar in a cool, dry spot away from any direct sun. Leave for 2 weeks but pick the jar up and swirl it every so often.

After the two weeks has passed, add the sugar syrup then return the jar to its cool, shady place for another 2 weeks. Again, swirl the jar now and again.

When it’s ready to filter your liqueur and fruit will have turned a rich ochre – full of mellow mists and fruitfulness:

Filter the liqueur through a fine sieve or mesh mashing the apples to ensure you get all the juice and flavour out of them. We start with a bit of brute force with the straining bag:

This is what was left in the straining bag after we had wrung it dry:

You will have to filter several times to ensure that all the apple flesh is removed and you have a clear, pulp free liqueur. We found that lining the sieve with a butter muslin (you could use a coffee filter but beware this can get clogged and you'll have to change it frequently) filtered the liquid very effectively. Filtering takes time - hours! Ensure you leave enough time as you don't want to rush. Clarity is your goal!

Bottle your now-potable liqueur!

Cheers!

Time to make, from start to potable: 4 weeks

Yield: approx 3 cups/750ml