Raspberry liqueur!

[jrshaul]

I'd like to make a big batch of raspberry liqueur, but I've got a few stumbling blocks I was hoping you could help me address.

1. Raspberries are known to be covered with some remarkably hard to kill wild yeasts. Quite a few recipes warn about fermentation despite the addition of copious amounts of alcohol, and a few specify a period of several days for fermentation. I'm hoping to go with equal parts mashed raspberries and alcohol by volume to form a 20% ABV solution, but I'm not sure this is quite enough. Should I acquire some everclear to boost the concentration to 25%, or perhaps just add some sodium metabisulfite? Or is the fermentation desirable?

2. Quite a lot of berry liqueurs end up tasting like cough syrup. I like to add a bit of brandy to my blackberry and blueberry to give some flavor depth, but I suspect that it's not so advisable for the raspberry. Many recipes call for a little vanilla or some lemon peel - can anyone else make any suggestions?

3. Infusion time for berries is a bit odd - blueberries generally work best for a minimum of three months, whereas blackberries shouldn't really be left alone for more than six weeks. Does anyone know an optimal infusion time for raspberries?

4. Does anyone have any idea as to what else I might blend with raspberries? I've got three and a half pounds, and I'll be acquiring the same again on Tuesday.

[Landru]

I've made a lot of raspberry (and black/blue berry as well) infusions. I'll give my thoughts on your numbered questions:

1. I have not run across any fermentation issues at all with my berries - I do use freshly picked as we have great sources in Seattle. The alcohol should stop any fermentation - I would stay away from Everclear though, it might be too harsh if you end up with subtle berries.

2. I have made cough syrup whilst thinking I was making liqueur. My Robitussin 2008 was famed for it's particular "robust" cough syrup taste. The problem was that I used a book's hint to add clove/cinnamon to my raspberry infusion. My advice is to stay away from adding spices to raspberry. I've never had the cough syrup thing happen on straight raspberry, blackberry or blueberry infusions - or with the berries infused with citrus peels.

3. Infusion time is so variable with the fruit - for raspberries I generally use at least a month and sometimes up to three (but three is more out of laziness than intent). Never had a problem.

4. As I said in no. 2 - I avoid spices! Citrus is always welcome in berry liqueurs - the lemon peel is probably more congenial than orange. Raspberry is very forward and sweet so to balance it you may want a "bitter" liquor to infuse it with - try tequila, brandy or gin! Vanilla goes very well with raspberry - split a vanilla bean or too and add to the infusion and it will round it out as well. Other ideas are grapefruit peels, rosemary, basil, or sage leaves. Think what you might like on a raspberry dessert!

[jrshaul]

Thanks for your comments! I'm going for raspberry, citrus, and vanilla for this batch; my blackberry liqueur, which a lot of folks do feel has something of a Robitussin vibe, is likely suffering quite heavily from the brandy. I might add a little white wine, however; I've found it adds a little depth to the flavor without distracting from it.

For this batch of liqueur, I was thinking equal parts 80 proof vodka and raspberry puree, with the zest from one large lemon per 8 cups of mixture, and then sweeten to taste and possibly dilute after infusion. Any thoughts on the issue?

[Emily_R]

I'm curious why you're using raspberry puree, rather than simply infusing with whole raspberries. It seems like the puree would be harder to ultimately strain out, leaving you with a thicker end product?

[jrshaul]

I'm curious why you're using raspberry puree, rather than simply infusing with whole raspberries. It seems like the puree would be harder to ultimately strain out, leaving you with a thicker end product?

I've found you get a better flavor. Also, while removing the pulp is a bit tricky, you get a superior yield.

[Darienne]

Great finding this topic. I am making my first raspberry liqueur following a recipe in an 80s book.

It does call for a pinch of tarragon or cloves and seeing as I don't have tarragon and couldn't find the cloves the other day when I was looking for it, I guess the only addition to the mix was lime or lemon zest. I forgot to write down which zest I used and now I can't remember. And vodka. It has now sat for one month and the recipe calls for three months of steeping before the sugar is added. Then it sits for 3 weeks.

Oh well, it's just the first try. We live in hope.

Oh, used fresh-picked raspberries.

Edited July 19, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[JulianZoetmulder]

The yeast on the berries is an interesting problem that happens depending on the source of your berries. Just how colder clime citrus fruits exhibit a thicker yet less dense pith than those from tropical areas, (really upset my fruit supplier by asking him to find me tahitian limes from indonesia.)

My 4th attempt at raspberry liqueur was the only one I deemed saleable. I've got the same issue with active yeast and as I use whole berries with 80proof vodka and a touch of white rum I wound up with bubbly red soup the first time.

Whatever vessel you use, leave as little air in there as possible. I also like to chuck the infusing mixture into the freezer for a few days after about 2 days of infusing. I initially did this trying to see if cointreau infused blackberries then frozen would yield anything interesting. The alcohol of course won't freeze but once the berries defrost they seem to impart a little more colour and acid into the mix. I don't know why but lacking the chemical engineering degree most distillers have I'm happy to be ignorant.

[mkayahara]

The alcohol of course won't freeze but once the berries defrost they seem to impart a little more colour and acid into the mix. I don't know why but lacking the chemical engineering degree most distillers have I'm happy to be ignorant.

Presumably this stems from the cell walls in the fruit being broken down by ice crystals, which allows more of the liquid inside to leak out once they're thawed.

[jrshaul]

The alcohol of course won't freeze but once the berries defrost they seem to impart a little more colour and acid into the mix. I don't know why but lacking the chemical engineering degree most distillers have I'm happy to be ignorant.

Presumably this stems from the cell walls in the fruit being broken down by ice crystals, which allows more of the liquid inside to leak out once they're thawed.

I freeze all my berries before making liqueurs. Gunther Anderson swears by it, and so do I.

[deensiebat]

Just saw this thread -- I made raspberry liqueur last year, going the infusion route. I use grain alcohol rather than vodka, because I think it pulls out a truer raspberry flavor (vs tasting like raspberry-flavored vodka). That said, it's got to age a while to smooth out the rough edges. My formula's here.