Mocha Tequila →

I was first introduced to Patrón XO Coffee Liqueur while visiting friends on one of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River. It may have been the beautiful location, the conviviality of the evening, the great food, a few bottles of wine, or all of the above, but I fell in love with the delicious after-dinner drink. When I asked where I could buy it, my friends informed me that Patrón had discontinued making the liqueur, but they had a stash they kept for special occasions. Appreciative, but undeterred, I decided to make my own. After researching several recipes, I decided to make Mocha Tequila using a combination of pure cocoa powder, instant expresso coffee, simple syrup, and pure agave tequila. The results are delicious. Sip it, pour it over desserts, or add it to your favorite coffee martini. *Note: I recently heard Patrón is producing XO Coffee Liqueur again due to the overwhelming popular demand. Power to the People! However, if you like tequila and you’re someone who enjoys making liqueurs, give this recipe a try. I think you’ll be glad you did. Salud!

 MOCHA TEQUILA

Ingredients
· 375 ml. pure Agave Tequila (I used Hornitos)
· 1/2 tablespoon pure cocoa powder like Ghirardelli or Hershey’s
· 1/2 tablespoon Medaglia D’Oro instant espresso powder
· 100 ml. simple syrup made with demerara sugar (1:1 H2O)

 Preparation
1. Combine tequila, cocoa powder, and instant coffee in a sterilized glass container.
2. Let sit for 2 weeks to a month; filter and pour back into the aging container. In the aging container, combine the simple syrup with the tequila, stirring to combine.
3. Let sit for one or two weeks, check for sweetness and add 25 ml. of simple syrup if necessary. Let it sit for another week or two; if you see any sediment in the bottle, decant and strain carefully and then bottle and enjoy.

Raspberry Liqueur (Liquore al Lampone) →

During Prohibition, like many people in the Italian community where she lived, my grandmother made homemade liquors. When she passed on, I inherited a beautiful marquetry box with several flavoring agents she used to make her homemade spirits. When I was young, it was a tradition for my father and me to make wine every season…sweet grape wine, elderberry, or dandelion wines. Now, to keep the family tradition alive, each spring when local fruits come into season, I make a fresh batch of fruit liqueur in their honor. Salute Nonna e Papà! 

RASPBERRY LIQUEUR (LIQUORE AL LAMPONE)
Ingredients
· .75 liter- 100 proof vodka or Everclear grain alcohol (.75 liter = 3 cups)
·   2 cups fresh raspberries broken up or lightly mashed
·   ½ - 1 cup of simple syrup to taste (1:1 sugar to water)

Preparation:
Use a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid.
1. Break up or mash the raspberries and place them in a large, sterilized glass jar.
2.  Combine the fruit slurry with half the vodka and shake to mix well.
3.  Close the container and rest in a cool dark place for 3 weeks.
4.  After 3 weeks, strain the raspberry-vodka slurry through a fine sieve, pressing down to express as much juice as possible. Rinse the glass jar to remove any bits of fruit and pour the raspberry-vodka liquid back into the jar.
5.  Make the simple syrup by adding equal amounts of water and sugar; bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature before using.
6.  Add the remaining vodka and ½ cup of simple syrup (see *Note); shake, seal, and rest for six weeks in a cool dark place.
7.  Strain the liqueur through a double layer of cheesecloth or a non-chlorinated paper coffee filter.
8.  Bottle, using sterilized bottles. Store the liqueur in a cool dark place. Serve chilled. 

*Note: when adding the simple syrup, start with a half cup and taste the liqueur for sweetness. If you want a sweeter liqueur, add an extra ¼ cup of simple syrup at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.

Lemonade →

I’ll say it again and again, I love anything lemon! Here’s an easy recipe for delicious homemade Lemonade.

Lemonade
Yield 1 ½ -2 quarts

INGREDIENTS
These are the basic proportions of lemon juice to water and sugar for classic lemonade. You can adjust these proportions to suit your own taste.

• 1 cup of lemon juice (about 8 to 10 large lemons)

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 quarts water (6 cups)

PREPARATION

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, make a simple syrup by mixing 1 cup of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. While the simple syrup is cooling, cut the lemons in half; juice them with your juicer of choice and strain the juice.

3. Mix the juice with the remaining 5 cups of water and the simple syrup.

4. Adjust the sweetness/tartness to your own taste.

5. Chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Limoncello →

Close family friends brought this recipe back from Italy 50 years ago. Many homes in Italy keep a chilled bottle of homemade Limoncello in the fridge to serve as an after-dinner “digestivo”. It’s so easy to make, with a little patience you will never buy Limoncello from the store again. Salute! Note: waste-not, want-not. You can easily make delicious homemade Lemonade with the leftover peeled lemons.

Limoncello

Ingredients:

• 10 thick-skinned lemons

• 750 ml bottle 100 proof vodka

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 1/2 cups water

Steps:

1. Wash the lemons with hot water and a soft brush to remove any wax. Dry.

2. Carefully peel the lemons avoiding cutting into the bitter white pith. Alternatively, you can use a Microplane to zest the lemons. Put the lemon zest and ½ bottle of vodka in a jar and seal for 2 weeks. Note: if using a lemon peeler, break up the lemon peels so they are submerged in the vodka.

   After 2 weeks:

3. Make a simple syrup: in a small saucepan, over medium heat, mix the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved; let it cool and add it to the jar with the zest and the remainder of the vodka.

4. Let it sit in a dark, cool place for 6 weeks.

   After 6 weeks:

5. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth into clean bottles and seal with a cap or tight-fitting cork.

6. Keep Limoncello in the fridge or freezer because it is best served cold.

Waste-no, want-not. You can make delicious homemade Lemonade with the leftover peeled lemons.

Lemongrass-Basil Vodka Gimlet →

Here’s an exotic riff on the classic Gin or Vodka Gimlet. Fragrant, delicious, and refreshing, it’s easy to imagine yourself on a white sand beach in Thailand while sipping one of these. Like any recipe, it is a road map for you to use to fine-tune the finished drink to your tastes. Once you have made the lemongrass simple syrup, the drink comes together in minutes. Tchin-Tchin!

Lemongrass-Basil Vodka Gimlet
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients:

• 1 stalk lemongrass chopped into 1-inch pieces and smashed

• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 cup of water

• juice of 1 lime

• 3 large leaves of basil

• 2-3 ounces Vodka (to taste)

• ice, to chill

Method:
Make the lemongrass simple syrup:

1. Chop the lemongrass stalk into 1-inch pieces, and bruise using a mortar and pestle or rolling pin.

2. Place them in a pot with 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup infuse for about 2 hours before using.

3. Strain the syrup, pressing down on the lemongrass stalks to extract maximum flavor. Chill until ready to use. Once the syrup is strained, it will keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks.

To build the cocktail:

4. Arrange a cocktail glass on a work surface and place 1/2 teaspoon sugar in the glass. Add the lime juice to the glass along with the basil, and muddle together.

5. Pour in 2-3 ounces vodka and 2 ounces lemongrass syrup. Add the mixture to a cocktail shaker with a ½ cup of ice and shake to chill.

6. Strain into a coup or small martini glass neat, or a cocktail glass over ice and serve garnished with a lime round or basil leaf.

Adapted from: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-thai-style-lemongrass-lime-mojito-recipes-from-the-kitchn-214658 by Michelle Peters-Jones

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/vodka-gimlet/