Apricot Liqueur

Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Make your own apricot liqueur with just 3 ingredients! Fresh, sweet, and fruity, this liqueur has a flavor comparable to Japanese Umeshu.

Prep Time : 20

Resting Time : 90

Total Time : 90 20

Servings 3 cups

Calories 187 kcal

Start by placing your apricots in a large bowl. Cover with water and let them soak for 30-50 minutes. This step helps remove some of the pesticide residues.
Drain them. Drain the apricots well and transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels. Using your hands or a toothpick, remove the stems from the apricots and discard them.

Place the rock sugar in a clean glass container. You can use one 33-ounce (1L) glass jar.
Add the apricots to the jar. Pour the liquor over the apricots and close the jar.
Let the liqueur steep in a dark and cool place for at least 3 months before enjoying it. Afterward, you can filter the liqueur, discard the apricots, and transfer the liquid to a clean glass bottle.

Adjust the alcohol content. I recommend using neutral alcohol with about 30% ABV (alcohol by volume). If you can't find rice wine with that ABV, you can definitely use vodka. Since vodka is generally about 40% ABV, you must dilute it with water. To do so, instead of using 3 cups of alcohol, use 2 cups of vodka and 1 cup of water. That will give you approximately 30% ABV.
Use rock sugar. While you can use any sugar, I highly recommend rock sugar. As it slowly dissolves, it extracts more flavor from the apricots, resulting in a tastier liqueur.
Pick good-quality apricots. Not all apricots are equal, so make sure you pick tasty apricots. Organic apricots are even better.