INGREDIENTS:

300g 40% ABV neutral grain spirit such as vodka, plus more for adjustment
300g violet simple syrup (see below)
30g (5%) dried violet, divided into 15g portions

PROCEDURE:

FOR THE VIOLET BASE SPIRIT:

Combine 300g neutral grain spirit and 15g dried violet and sonicate for 8 minutes or allow to infuse for up to an hour, agitating occasionally if doing the latter. Strain and gently press the violet petals, but do not wring dry to avoid an overly tannic infusion. Strain again through a coffee filter and weigh the resulting liquid, adding additional neutral grain spirit to return to its initial 300g measurement. Reserve.

FOR THE VIOLET SYRUP:

Combine 400g water and 400g white sugar in a sauce pot and heat over medium high heat, stirring often. At the first sign of a boil remove the syrup from heat and weight out 300g simple syrup in a heat-proof container such as a mason jar (place a folder towel between the container and the surface of the scale, making sure to tare the weight of both the towel and the jar, in order to prevent heat damage to the scale). Reserve remaining syrup.

Allow the syrup to cool for a minute or until around 190ºF and add the remaining 15g dried violet. Cover, and allow to infuse for 4-6 minutes. Strain and gently press the violet petals, but do not wring dry to avoid an overly tannic infusion. Strain again through a coffee filter and weigh the resulting liquid, adding additional reserve simple syrup to yield 300g total. Reserve.

Alternatively, if you have a sous vide or reliable induction burner you can hold the simple syrup and dried violet together at 120-130ºF for 45-60 minutes. This will yield a more aromatic end product. However, if following this method be sure to either allow the simple syrup that you made to cool to room temperature (or start with any other simple syrup you might already have around). Double strain as above. Reserve.

FOR THE CREME DE VIOLETTE:

Combine 300g violet base spirit and 300g violet syrup, stirring to incorporate. Strain mixture through a coffee filter. Reserve

By most definitions, a crème liqueur (read: NOT cream liqueur) is at least 15% ABV and at least 250g sugar per liter of spirit (25 brix, or 25% sugar by weight). The term “creme” in this case refers to the consistency of the final product. This recipe meets both those requirements, coming in at 20% ABV and 25% sugar by weight. This is an extremely luscious and sweet spirit on it’s own, meant to be used in small amounts for a recipe, such as in our Crystal Aviation.

This same process can be used with a myriad of other floral ingredients to create unique crème liqueurs. Why not rose, marigold, or lilac? You can even use heartier flowers such as lavender, just make sure to drop the volume down to about 1% by weight (3g in this recipe) to avoid a perfume bomb.

In fact, if you just wanted to make a bunch of floral syrups instead of crème liqueurs that would be fine too, and is in fact a great way to capture the essence of a season as it’s happening. You do you.