Wine making has been part of our family’s Christmas tradition for ages. Every year in October, my parents would start the wine making process. That was the time when carts of black grapes pushed by weary vendors went all over Bangalore selling their wares.

We had special jars called ‘baranis’ in Kannada to make the wine and loved watching the process.  Over the years, we learnt how to make it too. As children, we were often recruited to stir the wine assiduously with a wooden spoon on a daily basis.

As we grew up, each of us syblings experimented with our own recipes. The four of us tweaked and tried and came up with varied concoctions.  I can proudly say that between us we have made wine with anything that crossed our path ( No idle boast, mind you).

My spouse learnt how to make wine (from me) and eventually, he took over the process which left me free to experiment with other things. That’s when I accidentally came across a recipe for homemade liqueur. Christmas Liqueur became an annual event for me.

I started making a different liqueur for Christmas, every year. Every one of them was spectacular and I can’t say which was my favourite,  The best part was that while I enjoyed making them, I had unique gifts for various people in my life.

Homemade Ginger Liqueur is no exception.  You will love if you like all things ginger.

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas/ Homemade Ginger Liqueur

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas/ Homemade Ginger Liqueur

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas/ Homemade Ginger Liqueur

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas/ Homemade Ginger Liqueur

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas/ Homemade Ginger Liqueur

1/3 cup filtered water

½ cup white sugar

Grate the ginger and place it in a 2 litre glass container. Add the vodka to the container. Let the container sit in a cool, dark place for two weeks. Strain out the ginger. I did not do this as I like to have the grated ginger in the liqueur for extra flavour.

Then mix the water and sugar in pan on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the sugar water to the glass container, close the lid tightly and give it a shake. Keep in a cool, dark place for at least two more weeks. The longer you leave it, the smoother it gets. Store in a cool place. (I made mine last year). Serve with Ginger Scrumbtious Cake.

I also used it to make my fruit cakes this year.

Learn how to cook a traditional Indian meal using recipes that have been inherited from my Mum & Grandmother