posted by Southern 09-07-98 6:02 AM
Currant Cordial
1 cup water
1 cup currants (or raisins)
2 cups vodka or brandy
3/4 cup sugar syrup for cassis, 1-1/4 cups for creme de cassis
Boil 1 cup water. Add currants. Cover, turn off heat, and let currants plump up for 5 minutes. Strain off water.
Place currants and alcohol in a tightly closed jar. Steep for 1 week, shaking jar occasionally. Strain and filter. Add sugar syrup to taste. (Make sugar syrup by boiling 1 cup sugar in 1 to 2 cups water for 5 minutes. Refrigerate
leftovers.) Mature for 2 weeks. Yields 3 to 4-1/2 cups.
Make a small recipe first, so that you can establish the sweetness and amount of flavoring that comes from the fruit that you have available. Then you can adjust the amount of sugar syrup used in later batches.
SOURCE: Dona Meilach, “Homemade Liqueurs” (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1979)