| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| cab |
Apple liqueurs?The wild apple harvest beckons, and I want to make much of it this year as the wild plum harvest here has spectacularly failed. Many things to be done are pretty standard; planning on chutney, wine, dried apple slices, and a spiced apple melomel, among other things.I made a liqueur that I called 'scumble' a few years ago (apples soaked in gin, sweetened with sugar), but haven't done much with apples and spirits. Thinking that an apple brandy might work, with some slices of apple, some star anise, cinnamon, brandy and sugar. Any thoughts? Ideas? |
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| vegplot |
I just read an article on the dangers of heavy drinking....
Scared the willy's out of me. So that's it! After today, no more reading |
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| marigold |
Tell us more about the willys in you... :childish snigger: |
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| sean |
Something with apple and brandy should work. You get an aperitif in Britanny and Normandy called Pommeau which is basically Calvados with apple juice blended back into it to give you something in the high teens/low twenties ABV. A homemade version of that might be good. Not that I would suggest making your own Calvados at all. 
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| Erikht |
Re: Apple liqueurs?
Star anise may kill the fresh taste of apples. If you use cinnamon, I think you must use sugar as well, but just an apple/brandy or apple/vodka variety can also work. Whatever you do, I think the apples will need a lot of time on the spirit, a year or maybe more. You can always add cinnamon, sugar and star anise if you want, later in the process, so that they don't become so prevalent in the final product. Unlike wine, home made liqueurs and schnapps become better with a bit of fresh air now and again, so you can always taste during the process. |
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| gil |
You may recall my attempts at crab apple calvados.
Took several years to become drinkable. Still not great. However, apples may be a different matter. Would peeling and coring some of them before steeping help |
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| Chez |
Isn't *actual* scumble freeze distilled? 
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| James |
In Normandy they produce a sweet apple liqueur made from immature (white) apple spirit diluted to around 25% ABV with apple juice, then oaked for a short time. Cant remember what its called, but I recon you could do a similar thing with white brandy (eau de vie).
I oak age by splitting tiny little splints of oak from an old barrel (one of those half barrels bought from a garden center). I roast a big bunch of splints at 200c for a couple of hours. The roasting converts some of the sugars into vanillin and gives a really good chewy caramel flavour (that's why they char the insides of whisky barrels). 5-10 splints in a gallon, shaken daily for a fortnight or so will give a really good oak flavour. Edit: just searching for gil's crab apple calvados I came across Jocorless's crab apple vodka (its a liqueur really) |