Homemade Peppermint Liqueur
Aperçu
Sugar syrup flavoured with peppermint oil and coloured green, then combined with brandy. It is a homemade version of peppermint schnapps, and it is an alcoholic spirit rather than a soft drink. Nothing about it is African. Peppermint schnapps is a European and North American drink, most strongly associated with the winter holidays in the United States, where it is drunk as a shot or mixed into creamy cocktails. Commercially it is made by adding peppermint flavouring to a clear grain spirit; this domestic version uses brandy instead, which gives a warmer and less neutral result. The source attributes its invention to a Parisian confectioner around 1810 and credits Napoleon's second wife with carrying the recipe to Austria. That story is repeated in a number of places and is not documented in any reliable source. It is recorded here as a claim rather than as fact. Two practical warnings. This is a strong spirit, the brandy is not cooked off, since it goes in after the syrup has cooled, so treat it accordingly. And it contains green food colouring, which is purely cosmetic and can simply be left out.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan.
- 2
Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved into a thick syrup.
- 3
Take the pan off the heat and mix in the peppermint oil and the food colouring, if using.
- 4
Let the syrup cool before the brandy goes in, pouring spirit into hot syrup drives off the alcohol and dulls the mint.
- 5
Combine with the brandy, pour into a clean bottle and seal.
Notes de l’Africook
- Cool the syrup before combining. Hot syrup evaporates the alcohol and blows off the peppermint aroma at the same time.
- Peppermint oil is extremely concentrated. Three drops flavours the whole batch, and a heavy hand makes it taste like mouthwash.
- Use food-grade peppermint oil, not an essential oil sold for aromatherapy.
- The green colouring is decorative only. Leaving it out changes nothing but the look.
- The brandy is not cooked off at any stage, so this is a full-strength spirit.
- Sealed and stored somewhere cool and dark it keeps for months, the sugar and alcohol both preserve it.
Questions fréquentes
Is this the same as peppermint schnapps?
It is the homemade equivalent. Commercial peppermint schnapps is made by adding peppermint flavouring and sugar to a clear neutral grain spirit, which gives a clean, sharp result. This version uses brandy, so it carries the grape character of the base spirit underneath the mint, warmer and rounder, and noticeably less neutral. Both are drunk the same ways: as a shot, in coffee, or mixed into creamy cocktails.
Does it contain alcohol?
Yes, and a substantial amount. The brandy is added after the syrup has cooled specifically so that the alcohol is not driven off, which means the finished liqueur is a full-strength spirit. It is not suitable for children or for anyone avoiding alcohol, and there is no straightforward non-alcoholic version, a peppermint syrup without the brandy is a pleasant thing to have but it is a different product.
Where does peppermint schnapps come from?
It is European in origin and became particularly popular in the United States, where it is associated with the winter holidays. The source gives a specific origin story, a Parisian confectioner around 1810, and Napoleon's second wife carrying the recipe to Austria, which circulates widely but is not documented in any reliable source. It is repeated here as a claim rather than as established fact.
Do I have to use the food colouring?
No. It is entirely cosmetic and exists only because commercial peppermint schnapps is often sold bright green. Leaving it out gives you a clear liqueur that tastes exactly the same. If you would rather have the colour without a synthetic dye, a small quantity of spinach or matcha steeped in the warm syrup and strained out will tint it, though the shade is more muted.
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