Homemade Pumpkin Spice Liqueur

From Chow.com

(6) Difficulty: Easy

Total Time: 2 hrs, plus 2 days infusing time

Makes: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 6 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 2 cups aged rum, such as Appleton or Flor de Caña

A lot of autumn pumpkin drinks out there are made with fake pumpkin flavoring, but this easy homemade liqueur uses the real thing. Make a pumpkin-spiced syrup by steeping canned pumpkin with sugar, spices, and water, then strain it and add some aged rum. Give it a few days for all of the flavors to come together, and you’ll have a bottle of pumpkin nip to add to coffee or whipped cream for topping a ginger cake, or to give away as a Christmas gift.

Instructions

Place the water and sugars in a medium saucepan, whisk to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and vanilla beans, whisk to combine, and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is infused with flavor, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a medium fine-mesh strainer with a 13-by-15-inch piece of ultrafine cheesecloth and place it over a large heatproof bowl.

Pour the pumpkin mixture through the cheesecloth and let it drain undisturbed until most of the liquid has passed through and only a thick paste remains. Gently press on the paste with a rubber spatula to release any remaining liquid, then discard the contents of the strainer. (You should have about 2 cups of infused syrup.)

Add the rum and stir to combine. Transfer to a 1-quart container and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Seal the container tightly and store it in a cool, dark place for at least 2 days and up to 3 months before serving.

Homemade spiced pumpkin liqueur flavors this coffee drink that’s topped with whipped cream (sweetened with brown sugar) and fresh nutmeg.

Homemade Coffee Liqueur

From Chow.com

(6) Difficulty: Easy

Active Time: 15 mins

Makes: About 2 1/2 cups

Total Time: 45 mins, plus 12 hrs steeping and 2 wks aging time

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 ounces coarsely ground coffee (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup aged rum
• 1/2 vanilla bean

This homemade liqueur has a balance of smooth coffee flavor, sweetness, and booziness. Start by making a batch of cold-brewed coffee, then stir in a brown-sugar simple syrup, aged rum, and half of a vanilla bean and let it infuse for 2 weeks. Pour the liqueur over ice to sip as is, add it to a creamy cocktail, or use it in desserts like a White Russian Milk Shake or Drunken Affogatos.

Instructions

Place the coffee grounds in a 2-cup measuring cup or small pitcher, add 1 3/4 cups of the water, and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let steep at room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.

Line a fine-mesh strainer with a standard coffee filter and fit it over a medium bowl. Working in batches, slowly pour the coffee into the filter until all of the liquid has passed through the strainer (the coffee will pass through in a slow stream; don’t force it through); stop when you reach the solids at the bottom of the pitcher—don’t pour them in. Discard the grounds and the contents of the strainer. Transfer the coffee to a 1-quart container and set it aside.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Add the cooled syrup and rum to the container with the coffee. Using a knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out of the bean, add both the seeds and pod to the coffee mixture (make sure the pod is submerged), and stir to combine. Tightly cover the container and let it sit at room temperature in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks, shaking once a week.