by Wilbur, Todd
3. Pour the sugar into a 2-quart pitcher, and then add the tea.The water will still be warm and the sugar (or sweetener if making the diet tea) should dissolve easily.
4. Add the lemon juice and fruit flavoring ingredients. Stir, cover and chill.
• MAKES 2 QUARTS.
SUNNY DELIGHT
If you love the taste of Sunny D but wish it was made with more than just 5 percent real fruit juice, this is the recipe for you. Rustle up some frozen juice concentrates and let them thaw out before measuring. Since tangerine juice concentrate is tough to find on its own I designed the recipe to use the orange tangerine blend concentrate from Minute Maid.
6 cups water
1 cup corn syrup
cups frozen concentrated
Minute Maid orange tangerine
juice, thawed
6 tablespoons frozen concentra ted apple juice, thawed
2 tablespoons frozen
concentrated limeade, thawed
4 teaspoons frozen concentrated
grapefruit juice, thawed
1 teaspoon Kool-Aid lemonade
unsweetened drink mix
1. Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart pitcher. Stir well.
2. Chill for several hours before serving.
• MAKES 2 QUARTS.
YOO-HOO CHOCOLATE DRINK
Watching his wife can tomatoes inspired Natale Olivieri to create a bottled chocolate drink with a long shelf life back in the early 1920s. When New York Yankee great Yogi Berra later met Natale and tasted his drink, he was an instant fan, and went on to help raise the funds that helped make Yoo-hoo a national success.
I cloned this drink in the first book, Top Secret Recipes, but have since discovered an improved technique. Using a blender to mix the drink, as instructed in that version, adds too much unnecessary foam. So here now is a revised recipe that you shake to mix, that could fool even the most devoted Yoo-hoo fanatics.
cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate
drink mix
1½ cups cold water
Combine all ingredients in a container or jar with a lid. Shake until dry milk is dissolved. Drink immediately or chill in refrigerator.
• MAKES 1 14-OUNCE DRINK.
YOO-HOO MIX-UPS
A while back when I was rummaging through my pantry I came upon several bottles of flavored Yoo-hoo that I’d scored from Wal-Mar t and tucked away for over a year. Each of the bottles was covered with a little dust and needed a pretty fierce shaking, but the contents were very well preserved and quite tasty. After some web browsing of a few unofficial Yoo-hoo web sites, I discovered these previously worshipped “Mix-Ups” varieties of the famous chocolate drink had since been put to rest. Now, after a little work in the top secret underground lab, I’ve come up with a way to clone the flavor of this “dead product” that’s no longer obtainable outside of the ethereal food-world afterlife.
CHOCOLATE-BANANA
¾ cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate
drink mix
1½ cups cold water
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon banana extract
CHOCOLATE-MINT
¾ cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate
drink mix
1½ cups cold water
1 teaspoon sugar
dash mint extract (less than
⅛ teaspoon)
CHOCOLATE-STRAWBERRY
¾ cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons Nesquik chocolate
drink mix
1½ cups cold water
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons strawberry extract
Combine all ingredients for flavor of your choice in a container or jar with a lid. Shake until dry milk is dissolved. Drink immediately or chill in refrigerator.
• MAKES 1 14-OUNCE DRINK.
SPIRITS : SCHNAPPS & LIQUEURS
Liqueur-making dates back to somewhere around 900 A.D., when Arabs and European monks had to do something to break up the boredom of living in 900 A.D. Think about it: no DVDs, no video games, no extreme sports on ESPN2. These guys had nothing better to do than spend their time crafting the perfect beverage on which to get wasted. I respectfully toast their devotion.
Luckily for us, creating liqueurs at home today is a much simpler task than in those days thanks to the availability of a variety of extracts and flavorings, and pre-distilled spirits. This leaves us plenty of time in one day to both make liqueur and watch a DVD.
These clone recipes are very easy. For most of them it’s a simple matter of creating a simple syrup, then adding 80-proof vodka and the correct flavoring. Vodka works well because of its neutral flavor. You can use any inexpensive vodka you like, but I recommend Smirnoff. That’s the brand I used to make these clones, since it tastes good without being too expensive. For the flavorings and extracts, try to use Schilling or McCormick brand.
Each of the recipes has been designed to create a finished product with the same approximate alcohol content as the original.
For the liqueurs with fruit additives or cocoa you will want to strain the liqueur to remove the sediment. For this, use a wire strainer that has been lined with a coffee filter or two, or a paper towel. Moisten the filters with a bit of water first, then, after the liqueur has aged a while, pour it in and let it drip through the filter. If the liqueur has settled for several days the sediment will be on the bottom of your bottle or jar, so if you pour carefully most of the solid material will stay behind. It may take several hours for all of the liqueur to drip through the filter.
Store your finished product in a tightly sealed bottle in a cool, dry place. Except for the Irish cream clone, your finished product will store indefinitely, and even improve with age.
Then go watch that DVD.
BAILEY’S ORIGINAL IRISH CREAM
Bailey’s uses a special process to combine two otherwise incompatible ingredients: cream and whiskey. This secret process keeps the cream from clumping and separating from the whiskey, and allows the liqueur to go for two years unrefrigerated without spoiling. Since we can’t use the same process, we’ll replace cream with canned evaporated milk in our recipe. This gives us a finished product with the taste and texture of the deliciously famous Irish cream. Here now is an improved version of the Bailey’s clone recipe that appears in More Top Secret Recipes. This version has fewer ingredients, is easier to make, and tastes amazing.
1½ cups evaporated milk
(1 12-ounce can)
1 cup Irish whiskey
cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Hershey’s chocolate
syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon instant coffee
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and mix well or shake until sugar is dissolved. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Shake before serving.
• MAKES 3 CUPS.
DEKUYPER THRILLA VANILLA FRENCH VANILLA LIQUEUR
Just as with the real thing, this clone of the unique vanilla liqueur from DeKuyper can be mixed with cola over ice, or with I part vanilla liqueur to 2 parts raspberry liqueur for another tasty tipple. Also try splashing some of it into the shaker with your favorite vodka for a sweet vanilla-tini.
1¼ cups very hot water
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla
butter & nut flavoring
1. Dissolve sugar in the hot water.
2. Add vodka and flavoring, and stir well. Store in a sealed container.
• MAKES 2CUPS.
DISARONNO AMARETTO
The story behind this one is that for several months artist Bernardino Luini worked closely with a model to help him paint a fresco of the Madonna in Saronno, Italy. As the months passed the girl, whose name has since been forgotten, fell in love with Bernardino. To show her feelings for him, the girl gav
e Bernardino a gift of sweet almond-flavored liqueur she made from the trees growing in her garden.The year was 1525, and that bottle is said to have been the first DiSaronno Amaretto. The recipe was passed down through the ages, until late in the eighteenth century when the liqueur went into commercial production.
Reenact the legend by giving someone a bottle of your own version of the famous liqueur, whether they paint you on a wall or not.
½ cup granulated sugar
¼cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup very hot water
½ cup corn syrup
1½ cups 80-proof vodka
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Combine the water with the sugars in a medium glass pitcher or bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add corn syrup and stir well.
2. Add vodka and flavorings and stir well. Store in a sealed container.
• MAKES 3 CUPS.
GRAND MARNIER LIQUEUR
In 1880s France, oranges were quite rare and exotic. So when Louis Alexandre Marnier-Lopostolle traveled to the Caribbean in search of ingredients, he came back with bitter oranges to combine with his family’s fine cognac. While other orange-flavored liqueurs such as triple sec and curaçao are mixed with a neutral alcohol base, Grand Marnier took it to the next level with a more complex flavor that makes it today’s top-selling French liqueur.
Now you too can combine cognac with real orange to make a home version of this tasty (and pricey) stuff. By using an inexpensive cognac that costs around 18 to 20 dollars a bottle, you can create a clone cousin of the real thing that normally sells for 28 to 32 dollars a bottle. All you need, in addition to the cognac, is some sugar, an orange, and a little patience.
2 cups cognac
1 medium orange
cup granulated sugar
1. Pour the cognac into a 2-cup jar with a lid.
2. Peel and section the orange, then slice each of the orange sections in half lengthwise, and add them to the jar along with the sugar.
3. Cover jar and shake until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Store the jar at room temperature for at least 2 weeks, then strain the orange slices and pulp from the liquid. Use as you would the real thing, for sipping or in mixed drinks.
• MAKES 2 CUPS.
HIRAM WALKER ANISETTE LIQUEUR
For centuries anise has been a key ingredient in distilled spirits, and it is the most widely used flavor for drinks in countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Today it’s used as the key flavoring ingredient in ouzo, sambuca, raki, Pernod, and a host of other international aperitifs and liqueurs.The availability of anise extract (found near the vanilla in most supermarkets) makes home cloning this popular brand of anisette liqueur an easy project.
½ cup very hot water
cup granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
¼ teaspoon anise extract
1. Dissolve sugar in the hot water.
2. Add vodka and anise extract. Store in sealed container.
• MAKES 2 CUPS.
NOHIRAM WALKER CRÈME DE BANANA LIQUEUR
In the Cocktails section you’ll find many recipes that require banana-flavored liqueur, a very common ingredient at the bars these days. Here’s how to make some from scratch for your top secret concoctions if you don’t feel like fetching the real thing.
¾ cup very hot water
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
¼ teaspoon imitation banana
extract
1 drop yellow food coloring
1. Combine the hot water with the sugar in a small pitcher. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add vodka, banana extract, and food coloring and stir well. Cool to room temperature before using. Store in a sealed container.
• MAKES 2 CUPS.
HIRAM WALKER CRÈME DE CACAO LIQUEUR
The chocolate taste in this liqueur comes from cocoa most commonly used for baking. After storing this liqueur for a week or so, we’ll strain it through a coffee filter or a wire strainer that’s been lined with paper towels to remove most of the cocoa. Sediment is not cool in liqueurs. Our finished product won’t be quite as clear as the real thing, but the taste should be right there.
¾ cup very hot water
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
2 tablespoons cocoa
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.
2. Add the vodka, cocoa, and vanilla. Stir well. Store in a covered container for at least a week. Shake the liqueur every day or two.
3. Strain the liqueur through a coffee filter or paper towel-lined strainer into a bowl or pitcher. Store in a covered container.
• MAKES 2 CUPS.
HIRAM WALKER CRÈME DE MENTHE LIQUEUR
The popular mint liqueur is quick to make at home, and we’ll even make it a deep, dark green like the real thing with 45 drops (or ½ teaspoon) of green food coloring. As for the mint flavoring, be sure to get “peppermint” extract, not “mint” extract.
½ cup very hot water
cup plus 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
45 drops green food coloring
(½ teaspoon)
1. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.
2. Add the vodka, peppermint extract, and food coloring. Store in a sealed container.
• MAKES 2 CUPS.
HIRAM WALKER CRÈME DE STRAWBERRY LIQUEUR
If you want to try a couple of good cocktails that use this fruity liqueur, check out the clone recipe for T.G.I. Friday’s Banana Split Blender Blaster on page 213, or for Bahama Breeze Verry Berry Good on page 135.
1 cup very hot water
cup granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
¾ teaspoon imitation strawberry
extract
1. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.
2. Add the vodka and strawberry extract. Stir well and store in a sealed container.
• MAKES 2½ CUPS.
HIRAM WALKER RAZZ ATTACK RASPBERRY SCHNAPPS
To make this delicious raspberry schnapps you’ll need to track down the raspberry flavoring syrup used in coffeehouses with the brand name Torani. A few of the more popular flavors, raspberry included, are now available in most supermarkets.
1 cup very hot water
cup sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
½ cup Torani raspberry flavoring
syrup
1. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.
2. Add vodka and flavoring syrup and stir well. Store in a covered container.
• MAKES 2CUPS.
OHIRAM WALKER ROOT BEER SCHNAPPS
You could use this liqueur to make a teddy bear shooter: Layer ½ ounce of vodka over ½ ounce of root beer schnapps in a shot glass. Or you could make a root beer float as described on the bottle of the real Hiram Walker Root Beer Schnapps by adding 1 part Root Beer Schnapps to 2 parts milk or cream, and 4 parts 7UP or Sprite, then combining it all in a blender with ice until smooth. Or you could just pour it over some ice cream and dive in.
1 cup very hot water
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup 80-proof vodka
¼ teaspoon root beer concentrate
1. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.
2. Add the vodka and root beer concentrate. Store in a sealed container.
• MAKES 2½ CUPS.
KAHLÚA COFFEE LIQUEUR
Kahlúa may market itself as the coffee liqueur developed in Mexico, but many believe the brand originated in Turkey. Looking at the label, we can still see an Arabic archway under which a sombrero-wearing man rests. Old labels of the brand show this man wearing a turban and smoking a pipe. Even the name Kahlúa is of Arabic origin. Regardless of where the drink came from, it d
ominates all other coffee liqueurs out there, including the very popular Tia Maria.
Here’s a greatly improved version of the clone recipe that appears in Top Secret Recipes. You’ll find this recipe is easier to make, tastes better, and, just as with the first recipe, improves with age.
1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup granulated sugar
5 teaspoons instant coffee
½ cup hot water
1cups vodka
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Combine corn syrup, sugar, and instant coffee with hot water in a medium pitcher or large jar. Stir or shake until sugar has dissolved.
2. Add vodka and vanilla extract and stir well. Store in a covered container.
• MAKES 3 CUPS.
MARIE BRIZARD WATERMELON LIQUEUR
This delicious brand of watermelon liqueur is easy to duplicate by pureeing fresh watermelon. You’ll need a cup of pureed melon that comes from about ⅛ of a medium watermelon. I suggest you get the seedless kind.