I am turning out to be quite the “kitchen witch” of late. I just love watching things infuse after time into something lovely and aromatic in lovely mason jars. Then I love people sipping what I concoct with “Oooos” and “Ahhhs!” The whole process of creation; from seed, to harvest, to infusion, to bottling and labeling is just so much fun.
And this latest experiment did not disappoint. Galliano is a favorite liquor of mine (hello? 1st generation Italian?) Now, the true Galliano recipe is as tightly held as Mr. Krab’s crabby patty formula. But after much research, I felt I had enough to go on to take a good crack at it. What ensued was me gleefully cutting flowers around my yard, and sprinkling my own dried florals and herbs into mason jars. The jars looked like they were growing a summer garden, and smelled that way, too. The final liquor has the same subtle experience, like a summer garden on your taste buds. It makes for a great digestive..and addition into a summer cocktail.
Homemade Galliano-ish Liquor Infusion
Ingredients:
1 wide mouth 24 oz (pint and a half) mason jar
1 star anise
1/2 tsp. dried anise seed
1″ chunk of peeled ginger, cut in half
1 Tbsp. dried chamomile flowers
6 juniper seeds
1/2 cup yellow yarrow blossoms
1 tsp. dried lavender
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
Rind of half a lemon
Rind of 1/4 of an orange
Decent quality vodka, like Svedka or Soboleski (but not too good…save the Grey Goose for a martini!)
Directions:
Steep all ingredients for 2-3 weeks in decent quality vodka in one clean, dry mason jar. Shake it once in a while.
Strain through a fine sieve, than again through a cheesecloth lined fine sieve.
Clean mason jar and dry, and pour steeped vodka back into the jar. Add a 1-2 ” vanilla bean. Steep for two more weeks.
Strain one more time through a cheesecloth lined sieve. Add 3 cups simple syrup to taste and bottle in a sterilized, labeled bottle for storage.
Simple syrup
3 cups water, 3 cups sugar, heated, dissolved and cooled.
Flora is an award-winning creative director in Chicago turned food and lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. She is also author to the popular BEE NATIVE! gardening book series and various children's books that celebrate the wonder and hard work of bees and butterflies. Her blog and social spaces inspire thousands to create, learn, cook, grow, and craft, making their world lovelier one pixel/petal/seed/bite/stitch/brushstroke at a time. Follow her on all the social spaces, YouTube, and Amazon, and get creative!
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