Prepare Your Very Own Black Currant Liqueur
If you’re looking for a good plant for your backyard, you may want to consider having a black currant bush—nothing is ever wasted with it. The leaves
can be used to flavour tea, while the seeds can be processed so you can obtain the oil. The oil, on the other hand, is an excellent supplement
especially for cardiovascular health. The fruits, on the other hand, can be added to several favorite recipes to give them a nice kick.
It’s also not uncommon to come across black currant liqueur. It doesn’t have any caffeine and can create neutral alcohol, so you don’t really get super
drunk after sipping a couple of glasses. Moreover, the astringent taste of black currant is enough to transform any cocktail the life of the party.
How to Create Black Currant Liqueur
Creating a French-inspired black currant liqueur (also known as crème de cassis), you have to be a little patient. Nevertheless, the finished product
is going to be worth it. In fact, you can make yourself and a lot of your friends and family members happy!
Here are some of the steps in creating black currant liqueur:
Harvest the black currant seeds.
You don’t have to discard the leaves, though. You can keep them in a sealed container and then boil them into tea. If you want to produce a bottle of
liqueur, you’re going to need plenty of seeds. If they’re not enough, you can just combine them with other berries such as raspberries.
Place them into a jar.
Make sure that both the seeds and the jar are very clean and dry.
Pour in eau-de-vie.
Eau-de-vie is a light brandy that doesn’t have any color since it isn’t stored in wooden casks. Find one that has the lightest taste. This way, it
doesn’t overpower the taste of the black currant liqueur. Fill the jar to the brim or enough to cover all the seeds.
Store the jar for about three months.
This is the reason why you have to be patient. It takes some time before you can transfer the taste of the black currant from the seeds to the alcohol.
After three months, however, you can continue on with the process by pouring the contents to another clear container. Filter the seeds and discard them
afterward.
Create the syrup.
You only need water and sugar for this. Boil the sugar for around 230 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid compromising the quality of the black currant
liqueur, check the temperature using a thermometer.
Allow the syrup to cool. Once you reach the ideal temperature, you can reduce the flame or the heat. Leave the syrup until its temperature is only 212
degrees Fahrenheit and below.
Combine both.
Using another pan, combine both the black currant alcohol and the syrup. Mix them by transferring the mixture from one pan to another. Avoid using any
utensil to avoid crystallization.
Bottle the black currant liqueur.
If you feel you have mixed them properly, you can then bottle the liquid up, and you already have your very own black currant liqueur.