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The beauty of making your own amaretto lies in controlling the sugar content of this almond liqueur. In a side-by-side tasting of our homemade amaretto and popular commercial brands, ours was less sweet and had a true almond flavor. For the sweet tooths out there, just add more sugar.
What to buy: Apricot kernels are the dried seeds of fresh apricots. They have an almondlike yet bitter flavor and can be found online.
Bottled or purified water is important because any impurities in the water may affect the final flavor of the liqueur.
Special equipment: You’ll need a flat-bottomed, basket-style paper coffee filter. (The smaller, cone-style coffee filters are not big enough and tend to fall over during the filtering process.) Try bumming one from your local coffee shop or buy some online.
You will also need two large pieces of ultrafine woven cheesecloth. It can be purchased at cooking supply stores or online.
Game plan: After soaking the apricots and combining the macerating ingredients, there is a 4-week waiting period, so if you’re planning on giving your homemade amaretto as a gift, be sure to factor in the month of infusing time.
This recipe was featured as part of our DIY Holiday Gifts Advent Calendar.
To finish the liqueur:
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