I have been planning to make a kawakawa liqueur for a while now, so when I went to Italy I bought back a bottle of 70% alcohol for this purpose (they didn't have the 95% in the shop, but 70% is more than I can find here in NZ anyway, where pure alcohol for making homemade liqueurs is not sold).
So this is my first attempt:
Pick, wash and pat dry 5 leaves of kawakawa
Place in a jar and add 200ml of alcohol (I used 70%)
Leave for 10 days in a dark place
After 10 days make a syrup with
100ml of water and 100g of sugar
Make sure that the syrup is clear before turning the heat off
Let the syrup cool down completely and then add to the alcohol and leaves
Leave for 10 more days
Filter and bottle
Leave for a couple of days to settle and taste!
Well, it is delicious, the colour is green and the aroma is strong (can't believe that just 5 leaves can give you so much flavour!!), not sure if it is too sweet or not for my taste (as sweet as limoncello really) but in one month and a few tastings I will decide how to make a second batch. I am pretty sure that it is good for digestion, and blocked nose! But let me 'experiment' a bit longer :-)
Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
