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.
This recipe is for blackcurrant, but it can be made with other soft fruits like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
55 min.
Easy
1 litre
5 IngredientsLast modified on: August 3rd 2013
For 1 litre, you will need:
- 1
700 g blackcurrant - 2
600 ml neutral-flavoured eau-de-vie - 3
2 blackcurrants leaf (optional) - 4
500 g caster sugar - 5
300 ml water - Total weight: 2,100 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 45 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 55 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Put 2 blackcurrants leaf in a 1 litre jar.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Quickly wash 700 g blackcurrant under the tap, drain and dry them.
Fill up the jar.
Fill up the jar.
Stage 3 - 2 min.
Fill the jar with 600 ml neutral-flavoured eau-de-vie. The fruit must be completely covered with the alcohol.
Stage 4 - 1 min.
Seal the jar and leave in a cool and dark place for about 3 months.
Stage 5
After 3 months, the alcohol will have taken on a pretty red/purple color.
Stage 6
This means that all the flavour of the fruits has been transferred to the alcohol.
Stage 7 - 10 min.
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.
Pour the juice into a pan.
You can now discard the fruit, they have lost all their taste.
You can now discard the fruit, they have lost all their taste.
Stage 9 - 2 min.
Stage 10 - 10 min.
Heat to about 110°C or 230°F, you can use a thermometer to check.
It takes about 10 minutes to reach this temperature.
It takes about 10 minutes to reach this temperature.
Stage 11
Leave the syrup to cool for about 10 minutes, until the temperature drops below 100°C or 212°F.
Stage 12
Carefully mix the two liquids together:
Add the blackcurrant juice to the syrup.
Add the blackcurrant juice to the syrup.
Stage 13
Then pour this mix into the other pan.
Stage 14 - 10 min.
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.
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
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.
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 !
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 recipe | 7 RDI=3 % | 600 RDI=60 % | 0 | 3,860 RDI=190 % | 16,160 RDI: 190 % |
| Per 100 g | 0 | 30 RDI=3 % | 0 | 180 RDI=9 % | 770 RDI: 9 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 litre : $15.90
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Pears in red wine with blackcurrant
Pears cooked until soft in a red wine and blackcurrant syrup, served with the reduced syrup and custard sauce (crème anglaise).
248 K4.1 2 hours 35 min.
Blackcurrant sorbet for Edith
If you love the taste of blackcurrants (like Edith), this sorbet is for you...
257 K4.9 25 min.
Dijonnaise pear cake
This moist cake with a pear-dijonnaise centre is made with a "moelleux" batter. The pears are cooked first in blackcurrant-flavoured crème de cassis.
24 K 1 hour 45 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Blackcurrant
Like these other recipes: Blackcurrant-almond muffins, Blackcurrant coulis, ... See them all 2
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Little lemon biscuits, Pears and caramelised walnut samosas , Checkerboard biscuits, Pogne de Romans, French Family Cake, ... See them all 361
Water
Like these other recipes: French onion soup, Stewed apricots, Turnip and Jerusalem artichoke soup, How to cook pasta properly, Pistachio powder or paste, ... See them all 136
Other recipes you may also like
Herb olive oil
This flavoured olive oil, easy to prepare, goes very well with Mediterranean cuisine: pizzas, pastas, pan bagnat, etc...February 21th 2011314 K3.8 25 min.
Gratin Dauphinois
This recipe is a bit sensitive for people from Dauphiné (a French area around the city of Grenoble), many of them are sure to have the "true" recipe. Here is the version of the famous French chef Michel Guérard. The most interesting thing about gratin Dauphinois, is that it has a delicate hint of...August 13th 2016393 K 25 1 hour 3 min.
Pilau rice
Pilau rice (also called "restaurant rice" in France) is a way of cooking rice that's very different from using a rice-cooker. In this recipe, the rice is first "pearled" with onion in olive oil, then chicken stock is added, and the whole lot is put in the oven. This produces a very tasty moist rice,...February 21th 2011393 K 14.4 35 min.
Black Forest gateau
Black Forest gateau is a sophisticated dessert which comes from Germany. It is essentially a combination of four flavours: chocolate, cherries, cream and kirsch. Here is my own version.November 27th 2011160 K4.6 2 hours 35 min.
Sauce Normande (for fish)
Sauce Normande (or Normandy sauce) is a classic of French cuisine. It is rather "old school", but deliciously velvety and comes in two versions, one for meat and one for seafood. Here is the version to accompany fish or shellfish.January 1st 2020238 K4.8 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-13)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 11 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 4 comments already posted on this recipe
I have tried with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries. The best results is with raspberries, especially wild ones, absolutely fabulous!
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!