Making Pomegranate liqueur and sorbet

With the pomegranates cracking open on the trees, as if they cannot contain their arils anymore, I realised that we cannot eat them fast enough and that I need to preserve and use them in other ways.

I decided to make a pomegranate liqueur. After two months of macerating the arils on alcohol, I could bottle the most beautiful red liqueur.

What a decadent liqueur to add to the collection of homemade liqueurs in the cellar. I have basically made liqueur from all the fruit on the property. Lime, lemon, kumquat, fig, pear, quince and now pomegranate liqueur, all grace our shelves.

The liqueur smells like liquid pomegranates with the sweet and tartness of the fruit present on the palate. It is a clear winner for use in cocktails.

I decided to make pomegranate sorbet. I was pleasantly surprised by the intensity of the fruit flavour of this frozen delight.

Both the liqueur and sorbet will become part of the Towerwater food repertoire.

How to make pomegranate liqueur
Take 500g pomegranate arils, 2 cardamom seeds and 1ml grated lemon peel (preferably organic). Put it in a large glass bottle (I use a large consul bottle that is probably 1.5l). Pour 750ml vodka over the seeds and peel. Close your bottle and shake it well to mix. Place the bottle in a cool dry place for 2 months, shaking occasionaully. When the vodka and fruit are ready, make ordinary sugar syrup of 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of water. Allow the sugar to dissolve in the water over a low heat while stirring. Before bringing the syrup to a boil, take it off the heat and let it cool overnight. Filter the Vodka mixture through two layers of cheese cloth into a jug. Add the sugar syrup and pour it into bottles. Just remember that your sugar syrup will lower the alcohol content of your liqueur. If you prefer a stronger liqueur use less syrup.