We had some friends over for dinner the other night and I served up some of my homemade strawberry liqueur. Something about strawberries has always reminded me of summer, the flavor of a good ripe strawberry takes me back to when I was a kid and we would go berry picking out near my grandparents house. As an adult I’m now able to mix that taste into a nice summer cocktail.
Recipe
2 quarts of ripe, small strawberries (the smaller berries tend to be sweeter, the larger berries are not as sweet)
750ml of the highest alcohol content vodka you can find, if you have access to grain alcohol use that
Half cup of simple syrup or to taste
Wash and dry the berries, stem them and cut them in half. Place in the jar and then cover with the alcohol. Put in a dry, dark place (a closet is a good place) and leave it for one month. Personally I like to shake the mixture once a week, but be careful not to open the jar before the one-month is up. At the end of the month remove the fruit and strain through clean cheese cloth, then add the simple syrup to taste and let sit for another week.
I’m partial to mixing this as a summer refresher, in a pint glass over ice and with some soda water.