Making Liqueres

This is once again a trial. None of the peppermint schnapps here are of decent quality, so we decided to make our own. When ever you make a liqueur you will use a simple syrup, flavoring and alcohol. A simple syrup is usually 1 c water + 1 c white sugar bring it to a boil and you have your simple syrup that is excellent for preservation and candying. For the flavoring I have no doubt you can use extracts, but I prefer the real thing whenever possible. If I wanted to do an orange flavored liqueur I would use orange juice concentrate to replace half the water and cut the sugar. When it comes to the alcohol, use the good stuff. If you use the hang over special you will end up with the same swill that you are trying to avoid. We suggest Luksusowa Vodka. It is an excellent potato vodka from Poland and the price can't be beat at under $15 a bottle, depending on location. for this project I modified it by doubling the sugar. Here is the recipe and process. In a pan bring to a boil 1 c water 2 c sugar 1/2 c loose mint leaves stir until sugar is completely dissolved let cool until tepid pour in a bottle a bottle, straining out mint leaves top with 1 1/2 c vodka or everclear. This is fabulous when it is first made. I am looking forward to sharing it with all of our guinea pigs.