Ginger is our ingredient of the season, you can find more ginger recipes here and more drink recipes here.
We’re popping in with a homemade ginger liqueur recipe and using it in a ginger mule cocktail. Just getting ready for the weekend.
This liqueur has a quick turn-around. No long steeping period like our hazelnut liqueur or limoncello (oh hey, old blog!). Instead, it’s much similar in wait to something like our rosemary vodka.
I followed the recipe from Serious Eats and reprinted below. You’ll notice that the recipe says to place all ingredients in a jar and shake. These photos were taken before I shook mine up. I’m a sucker for the natural layering that occurs when you mix fluids with different densities or temperatures. Here, the brandy was lighter than the dense simple syrup.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- zest from one orange
- 1 1/2 cups brandy
Instructions
- Place the ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. The ginger should be soft.
- Do not strain. Let the syrup cool.
- Place the orange zest, syrup (with the ginger & vanilla), and brandy in a lidded glass jar. Give the contents a shake to fully blend, and then let the mixture steep for one day.
- Remove the vanilla bean and allow the remaining ingredients to steep for an additional day.
- Strain the liqueur through a coffee filter into a clean jar. Allow the mixture to mellow for one more day before using.
- Enjoy!
The liqueur’s flavor is not as complex and spiced (think cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) as my beloved SNAP. Instead, you get a pretty prominent citrus flavor from the orange zest. That’s something I may tone down or eliminate in my next batch. I may also try throwing in a cinnamon stick, and possibly a touch of molasses.
That said, I do like this liqueur in its own right. In fact, I think it’d be a delicious substitute for SNAP in our ginger citrus cocktail.
I used the ginger liqueur to spice up my basic Moscow Mule.
- place ice in a glass
- add 2 oz ginger liqueur + 1 oz vodka
- top with ginger ale or beer
- add a squeeze of lime!
Best enjoyed by the fire with a good book. I hope you’ll find the time for it this weekend. xo
