Give the gift of homemade booze: 23 easy recipes for DIY liqueur (2024)

FAQs

Can you gift homemade alcohol? ›

I'll make batches of the spirits and keep them in jugs until I'm ready to bottle them as gifts. If you are making the spirits and bottling before the “drink date” just make a note on your gift tag letting your recipient know when the ideal time will be to crack open that bottle! No reason not to make these this year.

In English, moonshine is also known as mountain dew, choop, hooch (abbreviation of hoochinoo, name of a specific liquor, from Tlingit), homebrew, mulekick, shine, sneaky pete, white dog, white lightning, white/corn liquor, white/corn whiskey, pass around, firewater, and bootleg.

Most homemade liqueurs start with vodka. This spirit is an ideal base for liqueurs because it's colorless and flavorless, making it the perfect blank canvas. Start by creating some of the most popular liqueur flavors, like coffee, amaretto, and Irish cream — they all rely on vodka for their kick.

Liqueur should be stored in a cool, dark place and ideally upright. Once opened, the bottle should be tightly closed and consumed within a year. Ensure clean and sterile working conditions to extend the shelf life of your liqueur. This also includes the use of sterilized bottles and equipment.

There are six primary liquors — whiskey, brandy, vodka, rum, gin and tequila. These beverages fall under the liquor category because they use a similar distilling method, but each has a distinct flavor that arises from using different ingredients and aging processes.

Avoid gifts with possible sexual, political or religious overtones, Heinz adds. The same rule applies to alcohol and gag gifts, which could cross HR lines or be offensive to others.

Similar to any gift, presentation is important when it comes to gifting alcohol. A brown bag won't make the cut. Instead, buy a festive-looking packaging and throw in a fancy “To/From” gift tag or a holiday card. Pair your gift with something else.

Place your bottle of liquor in an empty box so it isn't obvious what your gift is. Wrap the box with wrapping paper and you're ready to give your gift. If you don't want the bottle to move around in the box, you can stuff some packing material like newspaper or gift tissue paper.

“Specialty beer, spirits, and wine bottles are perfect for regifting for the appropriate recipient if the bottle still has the original seal.” Alternatively, if you have a wine subscription from a service like Wine Insiders or receive a full case as a gift, you can give a single bottle as a regift.