basics of liqueur making part 3

INFORMATION Siphoning: Before the initial straining, most liqueurs have particles of fruit or spices suspended throughout the liquid medium. Careful straining will eliminate these. During aging, some liqueurs form a layer of clear, particle-free liquid and a second, cloudy layer. Attempts to strain this merely result in recombining the two layers, producing a cloudy liquid. Siphoning is a much more efficient way to solve this problem. Use a piece of plastic tubing 20 to 24 inches long. (Carried by beer and wine making stores.) Place one end of the tube in the bottle of liqueur so that the end of the tube is at a level inch above the sediment. Bend the tube and suck gently on the other end until the liqueur fills the tube. With your finger over the end, place the tube in the empty bottle and at the same time, raise the bottle of liqueur so that the layer of sediment is 4 inches or so above the empty bottle. Release your finger and the liqueur should start flowing from full to empty bottle. To stop the flow, just lower the full bottle so that the liquid levels in both are the same. When the clear liquid has been siphoned off, discard the sediment. Brand names: As you follow the recipes of this collection you may find that some of your favorite liqueurs seem to be missing. For instance, you will not see a recipe labeled 'Galliano' because that is a brand name for a commercially prepared liqueur. Legally, we may not use these brand names for our liqueur counterparts, and so we have invented our own names. The copy of Galliano is called Italian Gold liqueur. Some names, such as Amaretto and Irish Cream are not brand names, even though we may associate them with one major producer. For these