Blackcurrant liqueur


Blackcurrant liqueur
The fruit liqueurs (or "creams" in French) are a mix of neutral alcohol in which fruits are macerated, and sugar syrup. They are the basis of the very famous "Kir", mixture of dry white wine and blackcurrant liqueur.

This recipe is for blackcurrant, but it can be made with other soft fruits like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
844 K 4.1/5 (202 reviews)
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Last modified on: August 3rd 2013
For 1 litre, you will need:
  • 1 blackcurrant 700 g blackcurrant
  • 2 neutral-flavoured eau-de-vie 600 ml neutral-flavoured eau-de-vie
  • 3 blackcurrants leaf 2 blackcurrants leaf (optional)
  • 4 caster sugar 500 g caster sugar
  • 5 water 300 ml water
  • Total weight: 2,100 grams

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 45 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 55 min.
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 5 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Put 2 blackcurrants leaf in a 1 litre jar.

Stage 2 - 10 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Quickly wash 700 g blackcurrant under the tap, drain and dry them.

Fill up the jar.

Stage 3 - 2 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Fill the jar with 600 ml neutral-flavoured eau-de-vie. The fruit must be completely covered with the alcohol.

Stage 4 - 1 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Seal the jar and leave in a cool and dark place for about 3 months.

Stage 5
Blackcurrant liqueur
After 3 months, the alcohol will have taken on a pretty red/purple color.

Stage 6
Blackcurrant liqueur
This means that all the flavour of the fruits has been transferred to the alcohol.

Stage 7 - 10 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Empty the contents of the bottle into a strainer placed over a high-sided container (to avoid splashes - they stain!) and collect the blackcurrant juice.

Stage 8 - 1 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Pour the juice into a pan.

You can now discard the fruit, they have lost all their taste.

Stage 9 - 2 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Prepare the sugar syrup:

In another pan put 500 g caster sugar and 300 ml water.

Stage 10 - 10 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Heat to about 110°C or 230°F, you can use a thermometer to check.

It takes about 10 minutes to reach this temperature.

Stage 11
Blackcurrant liqueur
Leave the syrup to cool for about 10 minutes, until the temperature drops below 100°C or 212°F.

Stage 12
Blackcurrant liqueur
Carefully mix the two liquids together:

Add the blackcurrant juice to the syrup.

Stage 13
Blackcurrant liqueur
Then pour this mix into the other pan.

Stage 14 - 10 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Repeat this until the two liquids are thoroughly mixed.

It's important to do it like this because if you introduce a spoon or other utensil to stir with, the syrup might start to crystallize.

Stage 15
Blackcurrant liqueur
The blackcurrant liqueur is now ready, and can be bottled.
Remarks
Its essential to use good quality fruit for this recipe, with bad or ordinary fruit you will have poor liqueur, and with well-flavoured fruit a great one. Best results are obtained with wild fruits, especially raspberries.

A couple of leaves can be left in with blackcurrants, but not with other fruit.

If you are making strawberry liqueur, cut large fruit into 2 or 4.

If you have a lot of blackcurrants in season, make blackcurrant coulis.
And to drink?
To make "Kir", the famous aperitif, pour one measure of blackcurrant liqueur into a glass and about six measures cool dry white wine (typically white Bourgogne like "Bourgogne aligoté" or equivalent).

You can also make a "Communard" by replacing the white wine with a light red one. A votre santé !
Keeping: Several months.
Source: After Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe7 RDI=3 %600 RDI=60 %03,860 RDI=190 %16,160 RDI: 190 %
Per 100 g030 RDI=3 %0180 RDI=9 %770 RDI: 9 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
How much will it cost?
  • For 1 litre : 13.50 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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The 4 comments already posted on this recipe
  • I bought a black currant bush by accident five years ago, and it now produces quarts of berries each season. This recipe is the best thing I have found to do with the fruit--great to drink with champagne and a great gift at the holidays. Thanks for easy-to-follow instructions.
    Posted by Rob april 14th 2012 at 19:26 n° 4
  • This is because blackcurrant leaves give some taste to the alcohol, less than fruits of course but a bit. It seems that it only occurs with blackcurrants, I've tried with other fruits and it make no change at all.

    I have tried with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries. The best results is with raspberries, especially wild ones, absolutely fabulous!
    Posted by jh april 4th 2012 at 22:55 n° 3
  • Thank you for this recipe... I traveled to Europe and I really enjoyed having this blackcurrant liqueur in drinks, only to find that I can't find it in the United States! I would love to try this recipe once blackcurrants are in season. Maybe I'll try it with strawberries now! :)

    Question: How do the leaves add to the flavour of the mix? And why is it that you advise not to include leaves on other fruits? What fruits have you tried that you really recommend? Thank you!
    Posted by Jessica april 4th 2012 at 19:21 n° 2
  • Thank you for this excellent Recipe - it tastes delicious!
    Posted by Johannes july 27th 2010 at 13:14 n° 1
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