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So I finally got around to making some Krupnikas which is a Lithuanian Honey Spirit. I had some once when I was in Poland on business and it was delicious so I have been hankering to try and make some of my own.
I found a recipe online which I based mine on and I thought I would share the details here as it couldn't be easier...
So the ingredients were (for approx. 2L yield)
8 Whole Cloves
3 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Cardamom Pods
1/2 Whole Nutmeg (cracked)
5 Allspice Berries
1.5 Tsp Black Peppercorns
1 Tsp Fennel Seeds
3 Inch Piece of Root Ginger peeled and cut into medium cubes
2 Inch Piece of Tumeric peeled and cut into medium cubes
Peel of 1 Orange
Peel of 1/2 a Lemon
1 Vanilla Bean, split in half and scraped
700g Honey
1L Water
750mL 96% ABV Neutral
I heated up the water and honey until it was boiling then added everything else except the neutral spirit and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes (covered).
Once it had cooled down enough I added the neutral and put it in a bottle. I have read that its best to let it settle out for 6-12 months so I will do this as the one I had was more of a clear yellow and I can see it will taste better once its settled out over time.
Anyway the first batch tasted really good but I thought that maybe some juniper would make it better, so I made a second batch following the same recipe but added 10g of juniper berries.
I wonder if anyone else has made anything similar, how long have you left it for?
Comments
That looks like a gawdawful amount of fresh ginger. Are you certain that’s correct?
With most of the ingredients I followed the quantities of a recipe I found online.
I did forget to mention that I strained it all after I simmered it.
I have a sneaking suspicion some of the quantities are going to be to high for my liking, the honey for example as I hate overly sweet things.
My aim is to let it all settle out for a few weeks then taste it to see how things taste. I will then adjust things to taste as ultimately I want to make an Aussie equivalent with some native botanicals in it.
You can also look up Boilo and Barenjager. Similar ideas, different names.
Estonia has a similar thing "Honig Zirbe" No ingredients on the label just a picture of a hive, it's 35% abv.
I might try to add the honey at 'flame-out' to avoid losing a bunch of it's aromatics?
Krupnikas = Christmas in a bottle.
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