Newfoundland
Blueberry Liqueur
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Newfoundlanders love their blueberries. We use them
to make all sorts of delicious desserts such as blueberry
pies, puddings and muffins. Blueberries are also a
very popular wine making ingredient. A few years ago
I came across a recipe for making blueberry liqueur.
I tried it and was quite happy with the results. I
published the recipe in a copy of Brewery Lane News
about 3 years ago and I keep getting request for the
recipe ever since. Frozen berries will work great
in this recipe as well as fresh blueberries. Some
people have tried this recipe using partridge berries
and said it turned out excellent. I haven't tried
it with any other berries but I suspect you could
use it with other berries and get good results. If
you decide to try other berries you may have to adjust
the sugar content to suit your taste.
This recipe will make a potent, sweet liqueur. It
is very pleasing to sip on after a big jigs dinner.
You can also use it for dessert toppings, sauces and
whatever else your imagination can conjure up. You
will need two 40 oz. bottles of vodka to make the
full recipe, but you can cut the recipe in half if
you wish. The liqueur will keep for several years
and will improve in flavour if left to stand for a
few months.
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(1) Puree the blueberries in a blender or food processor
to make 1 gallon of slurry.
(2) Separate the mixture in two, one gallon jugs and top
up with vodka.
(3) After a couple of weeks, the puree will sink to the
bottom and the extract is ready for racking.
(4) Strain the liquid through muslin or cheese cloth.
(5) Filter the liqueur through a paper coffee filter or
use gelatin finings to clear the liquid. You may also use
a wine filter if you wish. It is not advisable to use a
wine filter if you have made less than a gallon because
a lot of the liqueur will be lost in the filter pads.
(6) Make a sugar solution of one part sugar to one part
water and add to the blueberry extract until your get the
level of sweetness you enjoy or blend the syrup 50-50 with
the Vodka/extract.
(7) Mix and let stand for a couple of weeks before serving.
Strength is 16-18% alcohol by volume.
So there you have it, another good use for those tasty
blueberries. I hope you enjoy it!
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