This recipe produces a warm, rich elderberry liqueur that will remind you of a tawny Port wine.
Elderberries are in many ways little grapes, with a similar aroma, bloom on the skin and color; they even have little seeds inside. So I treated them like wine grapes for this recipe.
Fresh elderberries are what you want for this recipe. Dried elderberries will work in a pinch, but it will take you a lot longer to make your liqueur.
And with the fresh berries, remember to destem them all — no stems, as they are slightly toxic. OK, no stems is an overstatement, but only by a little. You want to remove as many as you can, but a couple teeny ones here and there won’t hurt.
Over the years, I’ve tested two recipes for elderberry liqueur: One where you buzz the berries in a blender, another using whole berries. I vastly prefer the method using whole, fresh berries.
It takes, well… a while to make your elderberry liqueur, at least a month in the jar. And since they are soaking in alcohol, you can leave them there for years. Seriously.
I imagine at some point you will get maximum extraction, however. So I reckon two to three months is enough.
It’s up to you whether to add sugar to your liqueur. I do, but only a little. You add it into the jar with the berries, or after you strain them out. It will take a few days for the sugar to completely dissolve in the alcohol. Shake the jar every day until it does.
Elderberries are loaded with immune system boosters, and the extremely expensive elderberry tinctures you buy in the health food store, you know, the ones with the eye droppers, are really just this elderberry liqueur in a teeny bottle.
I say make your own, then, when you are feeling a bit under the weather — but not yet actually sick — treat yourself to a shot of homemade elderberry liqueur that cost you pennies. Am I right?
Elderberry Liqueur
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh elderberries
- 1 quart vodka
- 3 one-inch pieces of lemon rind, white pith removed
- sugar to taste
Instructions
- Put elderberries into a quart Mason jar and pour over the vodka. Add the lemon rind (make sure the rind has no white pith, as it is bitter.) Seal and put in a dark cupboard for at least a month, or up to a year.
- The alcohol will extract flavor from the elderberries over time, so the longer you let it sit, the inkier it will get.
- When it is the color you want -- anything from a Pinot Noir color to downright black -- pour the vodka through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into another jar and add sugar.
- How much sugar or honey? At least 2 tablespoons, but to your taste. Shake to combine and put back in the cupboard. After a few days or weeks, the sugar will completely dissolve and the elderberry liqueur is ready to drink. It keeps forever.
Is there a use for the berries at the end?
Is the alcohol laced berry toxic to wild animals and birds?
Jim: I just toss them, but some people mix with sugar and eat them.
Thanks. Happy New Year!
Do I have to filter out the berries? Or can I just consume them with the liqueur?
Sarah: I filter out the berries.
Would it be ok to thaw some frozen berries and use them? I froze mine as I foraged.
Vanessa: Yes, but you will get their liquid in the alcohol, diluting it, so I would go with 100 proof vodka in this case.
Can I use white rum instead of vodka ?
Annetta: Sure. I’ve never done it, but I see no reason why not.
Would this recipe work for concord grapes ?
Nancy: Maybe? I’ve never tried it.
How would gin work in replacement fir vodka?
Jim: It will work, but I personally don’t like gin. But I imagine you’d get a sort of sloe gin effect if you did.
This is GOOD! First batch disappeared quick. Doubling the next batch!
Great recipe. I follow a sugar-free lifestyle, but would love to reap the benefits of honey in this liqueur. Have you ever made this with honey, rather than sugar? Would it effect the shelf life or quality of the liqueur?
Kayla: Honey is perfectly fine.
I left a few stems and I found a larger one is it safe ?
Karon: Yes, if it’s only one or two.
Question: I have no access to fresh elderberries. You said in a pinch you can use dried. How much dried berries in a fifth of vodka?
Kathy: I am not sure. Maybe a cup or two?
So I ran the leftover berries from the liqueur through a food mill and then processed as per your elderberry syrup recipe (I’ve made it before). It’s a bit boozier than usual, and seems a bit thinner (probably from absorbing vodka?), but still appears to have worked! Makes more use of the berries since the season is now over.
Hank,
I made this but didn’t use the lemon rind. Is it really needed for flavor in your opinion?
I just bottled it but guess I could slide a piece in each bottle if I really need it.
Also, what to do with all the drained-off vodka-soaked elderberries? I made a double batch, so I’ve got a quart of pallid looking elderberries. Hate to toss them.
Linda: Whether you put the lemon in is up to you. I prefer it to add both flavor and a little acidity. I toss the berries.
Thanks Hank. Maybe I’ll slip some lemon into half my bottles and do a comparison.
I might run the berries through the food mill and cook them down with some sugar and make a boozy elderberry syrup. 🙂
Here’s the final product:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CV3-cW7PQHz/
Hi Linda! And thanks, Hank for the recipe! My second year making it and a great success.
Linda, did you end up doing anything with the berries? I just stained 5 quarts and have lots of berries. Any suggestions welcomed! TIA
Howdy! I scored a good size bag of powder (berries are from Austria) and has 1% SIO2 as carrier. I figure if the recipe calls for 1 pint of berries (2 cups) that would convert to 50 grams of powder. I had a friend help me calculate how many ounces would I use. We agreed it would be 1/3 cup.
So I just purchased good vodka $20 bucks for a Fifth. I’m going to put the powder into the Vodka along with the lemon. I’ll let you know how this turns out. Wish me Luck!
Mary
9-23-21