What's Wrong With My Limoncello? A Failed Cordial Attempt.
Not entirely failed, but it didn't turn out the way I had expected. The reason is simple.
Dude, what's wrong with your Limoncello?
Dude, that's not Limoncello. It's just cordial in a bottle of Limoncello.
The thing with making cordial is that the fruit truly needs to get its inner juices infused into the alcohol. Berries are easy for that, you can squash them a bit and the rest is done over time and shaking. Citrus is easy too. Apples, pears, mangos, peaches, are a bit trickier. Even if cut small, and squashed a bit before being put into the alcohol, the fruit's natural juices don't extract so well, even with vigorous and frequent shaking.
This one was mango, and since apple had turned out well, I figured this might too. Err, wrong. Mango has a particular taste too and if not extracted properly, it's delicious flavour is not fully imbued into the alcohol. It smells okay, and tastes like sweet alcohol with a hint of something that doesn't entirely taste like mango. In other words, it's not very good.
However, I don't like letting it all go to waste. I found that mixing it with juices, such as Lemonade, Mango flavoured juices, tropical blends of juices (natural of course; I don't drink fruit punch), and even with the Tradition Apple-Pear juice, it tastes okay. The not-so-good taste of the cordial is lost in the mix and the effects of the alcohol are as normal.
So that attempt failed. Pear is another one that didn't turn out so well. I don't know how I'll drink that one, because it's a bit slushy too haha Apple turned out fabulous though, and I suspect that Peach might be a good one to try also, but I will have to cut it small and really squash it before putting it into the alcohol, because once the bottle is closed, you don't open it again until it's time to strain and add the sweetener.
At least it's not going to waste and I learnt an important lesson in making cordial. Some fruits just aren't cut out to be turned into an alcoholic beverage. That's okay, though. I'm discovering which ones work best and have a nice list of ones to make and remake, and which get better and better every time I make them.
I will reuse that bottle of Limoncello again, once the mango cordial from it has all been drunk. Grapefruit is one of my epic ones, but I might try my hand at Lime. Ideas, ideas, for more yummy yummy in the tummy.
Shlurp!
A shame this one didn't turn out so well, but apple seems fine too! Just trial and error until perfection, hahaha. I've always wanted to make this kind of thing. What's the alcoholic content in this one?
Ultimately, you palce your fruit in a mason jar and make sure the alcohol covers it. Shake it up, then adjust as needed. You let it sit for 4 to 6 weeks, shaking it every few days. Then you strain, add sweetener until you like it (it does get a bit sweeter over time, so keep that in mind) and then let it sit again for another 4 to 6 weeks. Then it's good to drink. On mild flavours, I use rum, more potent ones, I use vodka, sometimes spiced rum (Cranberry and Apple). As sweetener, I use either Liquid Cane Sugar, or Maple Syrup. The more sugar you have, the more syruppy it will be. Less sugar means a bit stronger too. It depends on personal taste and I don't actually measure my quantities. So far, my best flavours are Raspberry and Grapefruit, but the Blackberry and the Cherry (first time for both) turned out pretty epic.
Well, I might just try it out then! I'm probably gonna go with something citric. It's never a bad idea to have some sweet liquor around, it's not only delicious but also quite useful
Yes. If you go with citrus, you can squeeze in the juice of the fruit into the mason jar which will add even more flavour to the alcohol. That's the fun part about citrus, easier to squeeze the juices so they blend better.