Homemade strawberry liqueur flavoured with spearmint

May is the month of strawberries and there are so maaaany things we can prepare with this fragrant and tasty, sub-sour fruit!! One of the things many households do in Greece between the Spring and Summer months is to prepare the next season's homemade jams, preserves, dessert-spoon sweets and liqueurs. So take advantage of this velvety, vibrant red and delicious fruit to make your own liqueur which can be served chilled any time and especially after a rich meal

 

From a combination of various recipes

Ingredients (for about 2 Lt of liqueur):
1.200gr. of ripe but firm dark red strawberries
1 Lt of cognac
200ml of vodka
500gr. of granulated sugar
500ml of water
1 sprig of fresh spearmint (or mint)
1 small lemon, the juice
1 piece of lemon peel, unwaxed

Method:
Wash the strawberries very well and drain in a colander. Discard their little stem and cut into small cubes.

Place the strawberries into a large airtight glass jar and pour in the cognac and the vodka to fully cover. Add in the jar the spearmint sprig, seal the jar and leave in the fridge to chill and marinate for 1 week.

Put in a pot the sugar, the water, the juice and the peel of the lemon and simmer the ingredients to become a light (not too thick) syrup. Take the pot off the heat and leave aside to cool completely.

When the syrup is cold add it in the jar with the strawberries and stir with a wooden spoon.

Pass the mixture through a double-layer of cheesecloth and thoroughly strain, discarding the strawberries, the spearmint and the lemon peel.

Equally divide the liqueur into sterilised bottles, seal carefully and keep the liqueur always in the fridge so to be served chilled.