Toffee Apple Liqueur
Sharp green apple, soft cream caramel and a glossy red crown: this is a fairground toffee apple poured into a bottle. It is fresh, creamy and full of texture, with flecks of crisp apple in every glass - and at about 34.5% it is nearly as strong as the spirit on the shelf beside it.
- Makes
- Apple and caramel liqueur
- Base
- Neutral spirit at 80%
- Yield
- 3 × 750 mL
- Strength
- about 34.5% ABV
- Ready
- Next day, chilled
- Difficulty
- Easy
About this recipe
Few things say autumn fair quite like a toffee apple: a tart green apple, a coat of buttery caramel and that brittle, glossy red shell. This liqueur takes all three and puts them in a glass. It is the most textured recipe on the site - not a clear, filtered liqueur but a fresh, creamy one, with tiny pieces of crisp apple suspended in it, and it is all the better for it.
How it comes together
Cream caramels melted into hot water make a smooth, milky toffee base. Fresh Granny Smiths, blended straight into strong neutral spirit, become a quick green-apple schnapps: the high strength draws out the fruit's sharp, fresh flavour in minutes rather than weeks. Combined, the tart apple keeps the caramel from cloying, and the caramel rounds off the apple's acidity. Red grape juice adds body, colour and a gentle fruity sweetness.
The finishing touch is the best part. A dash of red wine poured into the neck of each bottle sits on top in a deep red band - the toffee apple's glossy shell. A shake before pouring folds it in, and adds a last note of berry and tannin.
How strong is it?
The litre of spirit carries 800 mL of pure alcohol, and the wine adds a little more. The caramel water, apples and grape juice bring the batch to about 2.35 L - enough to fill three 750 mL bottles right to the top - at about 34.5% ABV (69 US proof). That is close to the strength of many bottled spirits, though the caramel and fruit make it taste far gentler. Pour it in small glasses.
A sieve, not a filter, is the secret to its texture: a coffee filter would strip out the apple and much of the creaminess along with it.
Ingredients and calculator
Method
- Make the caramel water. Put the caramels and water in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until they have melted completely. Don't let it boil hard.
- Chill and skim. Let it cool, then refrigerate it - overnight is ideal. Sift or skim off the excess foam that forms on top.
- Make the apple schnapps. Peel and slice the apples, put them in a blender with the neutral spirit and blend to a fine pulp. Strong spirit gives off flammable vapour, so blend away from any flame or heat source.
- Sieve. Pass the apple schnapps through a sieve - not a filter - to remove the coarsest pulp while keeping the fine, crunchy pieces.
- Combine. In a large bottle or jar of about 2.25 L, combine the caramel water with the sieved apple schnapps, then top up with red grape juice to 2.25 L.
- Bottle. Pour into 750 mL bottles - the calculator shows how many - filling each up to the base of the neck.
- Crown with red wine. Top up each bottle's neck with red wine, seal and refrigerate.
- Serve. Keep it in the fridge and shake well before pouring.
The spirit
Use a clean, well-cut neutral spirit at 80% - from a Birdwatchers or TFFV wash, run through a reflux still. Nothing in this recipe is strong enough to hide a rough spirit, so careful cuts pay off. If your spirit is stronger or weaker, set its strength in the calculator to see the effect.
Distilling is legal only where it is licensed: check your local rules before making your own spirit.
Serving
- Ice-cold and neat, straight from the fridge, in a small glass.
- Over ice with a slice of fresh green apple.
- Warm: a measure stirred into hot apple juice or cider on a cold evening - heat it gently, never boil.
Because it contains fresh fruit and dairy from the caramels, keep it refrigerated and drink it within a month or two, while the apple is still bright and crisp.
Troubleshooting
The apple has gone brown.
Apple oxidises quickly once cut. It doesn't affect the flavour much; for a paler liqueur, add a squeeze of lemon juice to the blender.
It has separated in the bottle.
Quite natural with fresh fruit and caramel. Shake well before pouring.
The caramel water is lumpy.
Warm it gently again and stir until smooth; let it cool before mixing.
It tastes too strong.
Serve it colder, or add a little more grape juice - every 100 mL lowers it by about 1.5% ABV.
Variations
- Red apples such as Pink Lady give a sweeter, softer liqueur; Granny Smith keeps it fresh and sharp.
- Spiced: a pinch of cinnamon in the caramel water gives it a baked-apple warmth.
- Silky: for a smoother liqueur, sieve it twice through a finer mesh - you lose some crunch, but none of the flavour.
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From the forum
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