Blueberry Liqueur

Liqueurs are very easy to make and are even better to sip on a cool fall evening. They contain a few simple ingredients and the hardest part about them is waiting until they are ready.

Blueberry Liqueur

1 half gallon jar with screw top lid
2 pints fresh blueberries (20-24 ounces)
1 pound granulated sugar
Vodka (save the expensive stuff for your martinis and go cheap. You won't be able to taste the vodka anyway)

Place washed berries into the jar

Add sugar and mash berries with a long handled wooden spoon



Add vodka to jar leaving 1 inch head space



Stir until sugar is  mostly dissolved



Screw on lid and place in a cool, dark place

Now here's the hard part. Shake jar once a month for four months (yes, FOUR. MONTHS.) 

After four months, strain liqueur through several layers of damp cheese cloth. To do this, place damp cheese cloth into a large glass measuring cup with spout (at least 6 cups) or glass or ceramic bowl. Pour in liqueur. Bring corners of cheese cloth together and tie tightly with kitchen twine. Suspend cheese clothe bag over measuring cup and allow liqueur to strain into the cup until dripping stops (this will take several hours). Don't press the bag as it will make the liqueur cloudy. When dripping stops, pour liqueur into pretty bottles and store in freezer up to a year (it won't last that long).

You can use almost any kind of berry in place of the blueberries. Strawberries don't work well as they are too pulpy and they tend to discolor and ferment. Other fruit or a combination of fruit and/or the addition of extracts make for a variety of beautiful and tasty liqueurs.