Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0 · source
Liqueur · From Bladwijzer
Pine shoot liqueur
- Makes: ± 800 ml
- Time: 20 min + 4 weeks steeping + 2 weeks maturing
- From: Black pine
Ingredients
- 100 g young Austrian pine shoots (May)
- 500 ml vodka or neutral spirit at 40 %
- 250 g sugar
- 250 ml water
- 1 unwaxed lemon, thin yellow zest only
Method
- In May, pick the soft, light green shoots of a pine you can identify with certainty (never yew). Remove the brown scales and shake out any insects.
- Put the shoots and lemon zest in a clean 1-litre jar and pour the spirit over. Everything must be submerged.
- Close the jar and leave to steep for 3–4 weeks at room temperature in a dark place. Shake every few days.
- Bring the water and sugar to the boil until the sugar has dissolved and leave the syrup to cool completely.
- Strain the spirit through a fine sieve or a coffee filter and mix it with the syrup. Taste and add a little more syrup if needed.
- Pour into clean bottles and leave for another 2 weeks before drinking.
Storing: A year or longer in a cool, dark place. The liqueur contains alcohol: not for children or for anyone who still has to drive.