No longer vinegar, now filled with plum liqueur |
Trying our hand with Polish Plum Liqueur (nalewka śliwkową)! Making flavored vodkas at home is a popular pastime in Poland with young and old alike. We’ve tried all kinds of things. I really liked the cherry. Raspberry, not as much.
I’ve just strained the green walnuts liqueurs, both Polish and Italian. I hate to say it, but the Italian holds much greater promise. Perhaps I missed a step in my recipe note taking.
We’ve looked for something plum flavored, but what was available commercially left a lot to be desired. It was way too strong and had no fruit flavor. I thought I would try making my own, Polish Plum Liqueur (nalewka śliwkową), and did a test run over the weekend.
I put this together on Sunday, four days later, it’s already very drinkable – great for sipping, and I think it will be an interesting addition to a vodka and tonic.
Affiliate links below – which means if you make a purchase, Amazon sends me a few cents.
I’ve made mine with vodka, and by the time it’s sucked the juice out of the fruit, it’s not so strong. If you like something stronger, substitute spirytus for half of the vodka. For those of you more patient and willing to put in more effort than I, try steeping the plums in vodka for a month. Then strain off the vodka (saving, of course). Cover the plums in sugar and let that sit for another month while the sugar sucks the remaining juice out of the plums. Now add this sugar/juice syrup to the vodka you reserved earlier, and it’s ready to drink.
It was fabulous with tonic, could be popular with those who find tonic too bitter |
This was a small batch as a test, expand as your storage and vodka budget allow.
Na zdrowie!
Lois
PrintPlum (Vodka) Liqueur
- Prep Time: 2 months
- Total Time: 1464 hours
- Yield: almost 1 quart 1x
- Category: beverage
- Method: Infused
- Cuisine: Polish
Description
A plum liqueur, ideally made with Hungarian plums
Ingredients
3 cups vodka
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (according to your taste)
7 plums, pitted and quartered
Instructions
- Combine vodka, sugar, plums, and lemon zest (optional) in a large sterile jar (boil the jar and lid for 10 minutes before filling)
- Leave the jar sitting on the kitchen counter. Shaking occasionally to help sugar dissolve
- After a month, strain the mixture through a coffee filter, paper towel, or cheesecloth
- Add the elderflower syrup (optional) and pour into a sterile bottle, stored in a dark place
Notes
Optional add-ins for your plum liqueur:
- zest from 1 lemon (I used a vegetable peeler)
1/8 cup elderflower cordial concentrate (from Ikea grocery)
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
[…] a fascination with the Polish art of tincture making. So far I’ve made, cherry, raspberry, plum, honey/spice, mandarin orange, lemon, pineapple, orange/spice, and now […]