Rhubarb Liqueur

Fall 2016 we were married, and we wanted to serve our wedding guests fun drinks that you couldn't get anywhere else. We supplied a friend with fresh blackberry juice, mint, and gallons of homemade rhubarb liqueur and he came up with some beautiful cocktails! Thanks to Rob and his Pinterest-perfect whiskey trailer and mixologist skills! Rhubarb liqueur is by far the prettiest liqueur we've made, it looks like a sunset in a jar and has all the best qualities of rhubarb...a perfect balance of sour and sweet.

Rhubarb Liqueur

Ingredients

  • 4 cups rhubarb stalk
  • 3 cups vodka
  • lemon or orange peel (optional)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water

    • Directions

    • Feel free to scale this recipe up or down, depending on how much rhubarb you have! Use clean jars and utensils, but don't worry about sterilizing, since bacteria and molds will not grow in a high-alcohol environment.
    • Roughly chop rhubarb stalks into 1/2 inch peices. Put rhubarb and vodka into a glass jar. Optional: add citrus peel. If you are adding orange rind, be sure to remove all of the white pith so it doesn't make the liqueur bitter.
    • Let rhubarb and vodka steep in a cool place for at least 3 weeks.

    Sugar Syrup

    • Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar to a saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved, let cool. This will yield about 3/4 of a cup of sugar syrup.
    • Use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to strain the liquid into a new jar. We like to run the resulting pile of mush through the food processor and wring it through cheesecloth. The 'second press' will not be clear and beautiful like the 'first press', so you may want to put them in separate jars.
    • Add the sugar syrup to the jar(s) and mix well. Start with 1/2 cup, but you may want a sweeter mixture. You can now let the mixture sit almost indefinitely, the flavors mix as it ages. Try to wait at least a week, three is optimal!