Homemade Creme De Menthe
Homemade liqueurs are easier to make than you might think and this method to make your own creme de menthe is a perfect example. Creme de menthe is a sweet minty liqueur with a French name that translates to “Mint Cream”, even though it’s not really creamy. This quick homemade creme de menthe uses simple syrup as its base and thanks to a few drops of food coloring it has a pretty green color too just like the store-bought creme de menthe.
The simple syrup base is made by heating 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar together until the sugar is dissolved and then letting it cool. Once it’s completely cooled, you’ll add some vodka, and some peppermint extract. There are other recipes out there the infuse the alcohol with mint leaves, but I’ve found the peppermint extract to be a much speedier version that still has that familiar creme de menthe flavor.
Finally, this recipe also uses a few drops of food coloring to give the mixture the green color of classic creme de menthe. This makes the mixture pretty in a glass bottle for gift giving and the green signals that it’s a minty mixture. I found 4 drops of the food coloring gave the green color that I liked, but I always give the reminder to add food coloring slowly and see how you’re liking the results. You can always add a little more color, but you can’t take it back out!
You can also check out these ideas for using your homemade creme de menthe that include a grasshopper cocktail recipe as well as a recipe for creme de menthe brownies.
More homemade liqueurs to try:
Homemade Creme de Menthe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 drops liquid green food coloring
Instructions:
- Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a small saucepan and heating for a few minutes on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. Then remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
- Once the sugar/water mixture has cooled, add the vodka and the peppermint extract.
- Finally you can add a few drops of green food coloring to give it the same green color as the store bought version. You'll want your mixture in some kind of clear glass jar, bottle, or bowl for this step so you can clearly see the color of your mixture. I found 4 drops of food coloring to be a good amount but you might want to add the food coloring gradually, one drop at a time, to carefully arrive at a color you are satisfied with.
