You need a certain percentage of alcohol for it to be shelf stable. I think it is above 30% but you better double check. Beer at about 5% and wine at about 12% can and will go bad. Vodka at about 40% does not go bad, just not sure what is the minimum % to prevent spoilage. From what I remember about making tinctures it is around 30%, but maybe it is 35%? Do you know the approximate % alcohol in your concoction?

Well, the fruit has been steeping in a mix of vodka and brandy, so it is at least 40 proof. I don't have the bottles here but I think it might be even higher. The finishing involves straining out the fruit and other stuff. One mix is lemon thyme and dried apricots, the other is pears and a candied ginger slice. Then you add a heavy sugar syrup to taste. So that would thin out the alcohol a bit, but the sugar syrup shouldn't mold I don't think. I'm just wondering about the effects of the fruit infusion on the mixture.

Sounds like it could stay out of the fridge for short periods but maybe best to refrigerate if they are going to use it up slowly like I do. With 40+ proof I would HOPE they are going to use it up somewhat slowly! :)

I have been making fresh fruit Liqueurs for years with absolutely no problems, and outstanding results. So long as you are using the vodka / brandy at full strength right out of the bottles to steep the fruit there is no problem. You don't even need to store it in the fridge to steep, in fact, that tends to slow down the extraction process. I do it right on the counter. Give the jar a good shake every day or so. Strain our your fruit, sweeten to taste and bottle as you wish, I use wine bottles and corks, but absolutely no heat processing is necessary. Storing the finished product in the fridge tends to mute the flavors, and they are brighter at room temperature. Just as canning has requirements about acidity, etc, so does cordial making. The trick with using fresh fruit is to keep the proof up to retard any spoilage during extraction.

Here are a few recipes you might like to try:

CRANBERRY CORDIAL

8 Cups (4 bags) Raw Cranberries
6 cups Sugar
1 Litre Amber Rum
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Place the Cranberries in batches in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until the berries are coarsely chopped. Transfer the berries to a glass gallon jug with tight fitting lid.

Add the Sugar, Rum and Vanilla and stir until mixed. The sugar may not completely dissolve at this time. Tightly cap and store in a cool dark place.

For the next 6 weeks, gently shake the jar every day to mix the contents.

When matured, strain the cordial through a double layer of cheese cloth into decorative bottles. Seal with corks and let age. The liqueur will be mellower after a month of age, and is excellent even after one year.

BLACKBERRY LIQUEUR

2 Cups Fresh Blackberries, picked over and rinsed
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Vodka
1 Cup Brandy
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

Place Berries in a clean 1 gallon jar and add Sugar. Crush the berries with a wooden spoon and let stand for one hour. Add Vodka and Brandy, cap tightly and shake. Add Corn Syrup and Lemon Juice. Let stand in a cool dark place for 2 weeks.

Use a fine mesh strainer to strain our solids and discard them. Rack or filter into final containers. Cover and age one month more before serving.

RASPBERRY LIQUEUR

1 1/2 Pounds Fresh Raspberries, picked over and washed
1 Cup Sugar
3 Cups White Zinfandel
1 1/2 Cups Vodka
2 Cups Water

Crush the Raspberries and Sugar together in a bowl, let stand for one hour. Transfer to a clean glass gallon jar and add the Wine, Vodka, and Water. Cover tightly and shake gently. Let stand in a cool dark place for 3 days, shaking daily.

Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out solids and discard. Rack or filter into bottles, seal with corks and age at least one more month before serving.

LIMONCELLO

2 Cups 100-proof Vodka
Zest of Five Lemons
2 Cups Water
1 Cups Sugar

Combine Vodka and Lemon Zest in a 1-quart covered glass Jar, let stand at room temperature for 3 days.

Make a simple syrup by heating the Water and Sugar over medium heat, stir until Sugar dissolves.

Stir the syrup into the jar containing the Vodka. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discard the Lemon Zest. Pour into clean jars, cap tightly and store in the freezer. Serve well chilled in small glasses.

Have fun and enjoy the final product.

Steve

Thanks Steve! I better take my stash out of the fridge. Plus, I have been remiss about shaking the jars!
What a fun adventure this is. I like to add these cordials to wine--nuked wine in the winter, chilled sangria style in the summer. Also good with hot cider and I suppose cool lemonade in the summer, or iced tea.

Steve,
Thanks for taking the time to post the recipes.
Jim in So. Calif.

Steve, I want to thank you, too, for the recipes you posted. I tried making a cherry liqueur many years ago in a gallon jug, but couldn't get the lid off after the given amount of time. The stuff was left like that on a kitchen counter for a couple of years then my DH tossed it. Maybe I can try again with one of your recipes plus the plain cherry and keep them out of his sight.

I have gotten so much info from this site since I joined that I am happy to pay it back! bcskye, use the cranberry cordial as a guide and try the cherry idea again, sounds real tasty. I'd reduce the initial sugar probably by half and then taste the final product and sweeten to taste. This can be done with just about any fruit. I did it with fresh plums once and it was amazing. The Raspberry Cordial uses White Zinfandel wine because all vodka overpowered the delicacy of the Raspberries, and it gives a nice pinkish color to the final.

The people on this site are all so clever and creative that I'm sure you can come up with ideas I haven't. Think of flavor combinations. How about bourbon and peaches? I did gin and cucumbers with a bit of fresh dill, that was interesting, made a heck of a martini! Play around, have fun!

Steve

Steve, do you have rough amounts of gin and cuke and dill...sounds like something my husband would love...

Here you go:

Cucumber Gin

One 750ml bottle of Gin
2 Cups peeled Sliced Cucumbers
2 Sprigs Dill

Combine all in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake every few days, and taste weekly. When you are satisfied with the intensity of the flavor stain through a double layer of cheese cloth and bottle.

The next one I want to try is Rhubarb, but I haven't quite thought that one through. Any ideas?

Steve