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.
865 K 4.1/5 (205 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
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.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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.
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 €

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 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).
250 K4.1 2 hours 35 min.
Dijonnaise pear cake
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.
25 K 1 hour 45 min.
Blackcurrant sorbet for Edith
Blackcurrant sorbet for Edith

If you love the taste of blackcurrants (like Edith), this sorbet is for you...
259 K4.9 25 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Rabbit civet
Rabbit civet
Rabbit civet is a classic dish of French cuisine. The word "civet" comes from "cive", an old word for onion. These days, the name refers to chunks of meat, marinated then cooked slowly in red wine with bacon, mushrooms and onions. This tasty stew or casserole, with its very tender meat, is like my...
May 10th 2023104 K4 15 hours 20 min.
How to rehydrate dried mushrooms
How to rehydrate dried mushrooms
Rehydrating dried mushrooms restoes them to something like their fresh texture, ready to use in a recipe. You will see that there is more to it than simply leaving them to soak in water. At the same time, we can also make a delicious mushroom "jus" to use in recipes. Throughout the recipe, I have...
April 5th 2017358 K4.8 1 hour 10 min.
Breton sablé biscuit dough
Breton sablé biscuit dough
Brittany is famous for its rich, sandy textured "sablé" biscuits. Similar to shortbread, they are made with lots of butter and egg yolk, and just a hint of vanilla. This dough can be made into simple biscuits – already delicious on their own – or used as the base for tarts and other desserts.
August 1st 2018115 K 30 min.
Escalope cordon bleu
Escalope cordon bleu
Escalope cordon bleu, or "cordon bleu", is a great classic of French family cooking: a cutlet of poultry (often chicken) that is folded over a slice of ham, béchamel sauce and strips of cheese, then breaded and baked in the oven. It's a delicacy that most French children have eaten at home, or at...
March 31th 202424 K 1 hour 35 min.
Cabbage and cheddar quiche
Cabbage and cheddar quiche
For this recipe, our quiche will be topped with sliced cabbage cooked on the side with a shallot, grated cheddar, and a lightly mustarded quiche mix.
September 12th 202415 K 1 hour 30 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-24)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
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

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.
I am not a leaving thing
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.

Back to top of page