Homemade Ginger Liqueur

One Kitchen Kinfe

• 2 ounces ginger root, peeled and cut into thin slices (this was about 2 knobs of ginger for me)
• 1 vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 cu white sugar
• 1.5 cu water
• 1.5 cu brandy (don’t buy anything too fancy or expensive for this – I got a perfectly serviceable 750 ml bottle for $12)

1. Make a simple syrup with the ginger and vanilla: place the sliced ginger, vanilla bean, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the ginger softens. Remove from the heat and let cool. Do not strain.

2. In the meantime, pour the brandy into a glass container. Add the orange zest and, when cool, the syrup (with the ginger and vanilla bean still included). Close the glass jar or bottle, shake, and let sit for a day while the flavors meld.

3. Remove the vanilla bean, close the container again, shake and let sit for another day.

4. The next day, strain the mixture through a coffee filter into a glass container for storage. Almost there! Now just let it rest for one more day to let the flavors mellow out. The next day, make the The Perfect Storm.