Christmas Pudding Liqueur (with a happy ending!)

A delicious whiskey based liqueur, made from all natural ingredients.

Make this delicious, Christmassy liqueur, perfect for a Christmas Eve tipple, or as a gift - and after straining, save the ingredients which are perfect for using in Christmas makes and bakes!

 

Ingredients

• 2 litres blended Scotch whiskey (or you could use brandy or vodka)
  
• 175g sultanas
• 75g raisins
• 75g currants
• 75g dried cranberries
• 1 large bramley apple, peeled and finely diced
• Grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tbsp mixed spice
• 600g golden caster sugar
• 100g dark muscovado sugar

Method

1. Mix together all of the ingredients in a large glass bowl or dish, cover and refrigerate.

2. Stir daily for 2 weeks.

3. Strain through a colander above a jam/jelly straining bag, and pour into sterilised bottles.

4. Reserve the soaked, dried fruit, removing the cinnamon sticks, vanilla pod and cloves.

Now, you can use the reserved fruit in mincemeat - such as my Bejewelled Festive Fruity Mincemeat recipe - just use instead of the 200g raisins and 300g sultanas in the recipe, and skip the mixed spice; or in a Christmas pudding in place of 500g dried fruit, or in your favourite Christmas cake recipe - I have a Luxury Fruit Christmas Cake here, and just substitute it for 500g of the dried mixed fruits, and away you go!