Mint liqueur, an easy home-made liqueur
Mint liqueur, an easy home-made liqueur
Mint liqueur is created in the same way as nearly all other homemade liqueurs. Actually, the process is comparable. It entails macerating the primary flavour—mint, in this case—in a large amount of alcohol and mixing the resultant mixture with freshly made syrup. Obviously, everything must be duly filtered and left to rest.
Depending on the quality of the primary component, both the maceration and resting times change. In this instance, a minimum of one month should elapse throughout the maceration process, and a minimum of one week should elapse during the “final rest,” which is before consumption. Therefore, the process of making this liqueur takes close to a month and a half. This should come as no surprise, however, as other liqueur recipes call for the same amount of time—two or three months.
Recipe mint liqueur
Preparation mint liqueur
- To prepare the liqueur, start by washing the mint leaves.
- Next, gently pat the leaves dry with a clean, dry cloth.
- You can add some lemon zest to the mint leaves.
- Finally, transfer the mint leaves into an airtight container and pour in the alcohol.
- Close and let everything macerate for about 10 days in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight.
- Once this time has passed, tend to the syrup. Add the sugar and water to a pan, stir, and place over medium heat.
- With the lid still on, bring the solution to a boil.
- Then turn off the heat and let the sugar syrup cool, still with the lid on. After a couple of hours, add the alcohol and mint solution.
- Next, use a funnel covered in nylon stockings or a strainer with a fine mesh to filter the liqueur that has been produced (filtering will make it smoother).
- Finally, bottle the liqueur in a glass container and let it rest for at least 30 days before serving it.
Ingredients mint liqueur
- about 50 peppermint leaves (medium – large)
- 500 ml of food-grade alcohol
- 95% concentration
- 500 ml of natural water
- 350 gr. of granulated sugar
It’s definitely worth it; in fact, the peppermint liqueur is excellent and perfectly captures the subtle flavours of the main component. And to top it all off, there’s the syrup’s balancing effect and the alcohol’s distinct flavour. It can be taken as a shot or as a drink on its own. It is very alcoholic, though; in fact, it can even exceed 40%.
Nonetheless, it can be used to make cocktails, perhaps as a replacement for heavy alcoholic bases such as whisky, rum, and vodka. By its very nature, mint liqueur goes well with citrus fruits, especially lemon. It also interacts well with other herbs, as long as its flavour is not too strong. Thanks to this liqueur, you can also prepare unusual and new versions of mojitos (the traditional mint cocktail).
How to choose mint
To make mint liqueur at home, there are a few things you should know. Mint is the main ingredient here; in fact, not all leaves are compatible with the recipe. You should only choose medium-large leaves. The reason is simple: maceration is a demanding process, and the leaves must be able to release flavours and nutrients rather than simply being crumbled by the alcohol. However, the mint plant is generous from this point of view, so you will have no difficulty finding the ideal size. Mint liqueur, if carefully prepared, guarantees some of the nutritional properties of the fresh leaf. This is positive news if you consider how mint is good for your health.
The discussion focuses on digestion, which is made easier by certain components in addition to the fibres (which are not “transferred” to alcohol). Let’s just say that, when it comes to digestives, mint liqueur is the best digestive (apologies for the pun). Menthol, another ingredient in mint, has a relaxing effect on pain perception in addition to aiding in the prevention of cancer. Toothpastes that contain mint also take advantage of this feature and its capacity to fight foul breath. In light of all this, mint is considered not only a resource in the kitchen but also in herbal medicine. Of course, if taken in large quantities, it could have some contraindications, such as dizziness and nausea. These effects manifest themselves, especially in those suffering from certain pathologies (cholelithiasis, thyroidism, etc.). Furthermore, mint also interacts with some drugs, such as calcium blockers.
The delicate balance between alcohol, sugar, and water
The mint liqueur recipe is basically very simple. The phases, although long, are few and very intuitive. This doesn’t mean that making a good mint liqueur is easy.The dosages pose the most challenge because they need to be exact and properly proportioned. If you do not take great care, you run the risk of creating a liqueur that is overly strong or too sweet rather than being too light or too alcoholic.
To avoid making mistakes, respect the doses indicated in the recipe and measure the ingredients as best you can. The quantity of alcohol must be equal to that of water. The sugar, on the other hand, must correspond to two-thirds of the water. As for mint, 50 leaves should be enough, as long as they are large enough. Instead, for the type of alcohol, you will have to use food-grade alcohol, which has an alcohol content of 95%. The recipe suggests a month of rest; however, you can extend it further to obtain an even more intense mint liqueur. I need to find someone who knows how to make mint grappa, mint cream liqueur, and mint rosolio. Do you have a recipe to recommend? I heard the milk and mint liqueur is very good.
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