Last Updated on September 17, 2023 by Leah Hall
This lilac liqueur is the scent of spring in a bottle. Easy to make and easier to use!
Lilac Infused Vodka can preserve the scent of summer into a bottle for use later! This Lilac Liqueur recipe takes only a few days to make.
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The scent of the lilac is amazing in the spring. It’s a quick and short season, so if you want to have this recipe for use all year long, don’t wait!
Lilac flowers are edible, and make for such a great floral ingredient in cocktails. We even made Lilac Simple Syrup, and these are great combined together.
Lilac Infused Vodka
You know we love to make our own homemade liqueurs – banana, peach, even allspice dram. We also love to infuse alcohols, so we knew right away what we wanted to do with our fresh lilac flowers.
Lilacs bloom mostly in the month of May and are common around the world. This really is lovely if you just want to make lilac vodka, and you can keep some that way, but we enjoy the lilac liqueur even more!
Preparing Lilac Flowers
We describe this in more detail on our recipe Lilac Simple syrup, but here are the basics to prep your lilac flowers.
- Make sure your lilacs were not treated with pesticides or sprays.
- Harvest the lilac blooms in the morning when the temperatures are cooler.
- Shake off any dead blossoms, as well as any bugs or dirt.
- Rinse off the lilac blooms before de-stemming.
- When prepping for the infusion, remove just the blossom, leaving behind the stems, leaves and the green bits. If a few get in, no big deal, but it can make it bitter.
How do you Make Lilac Liqueur?
- Place 1 cup of lilac blossoms in a jar or container with a lid, and top with 1 cup of vodka. 1 cup of blossoms to 1 cup of vodka is a good ratio.
- Allow to steep for at least 1 week. We found we liked it best after 2 weeks, but taste to see when you liked it.
- Strain the lilac blossoms from the infused vodka. You can use both a mesh strainer and a cheesecloth, or 1 of each.
- Prepare the simple syrup to put into the liquor.
- Pour in the simple syrup and stir. Store with lid. Should keep for up to 6 months.
Lilac flowers do lose their purple color in the liquid, (or if you use white, it’s a little green), but you can add some blueberries into your simple syrup recipe and it will come out a pretty purple pink, which is what we did. Just add in 3 smashed blueberries, and it will give you a great color, but it’s completely optional.
All about Lilac Liqueur
While it is infusing, you can add more flowers if you would like, as the ones in the vodka will shrink down a bit, especially if you want to maximize the lilac flavor. This is completely optional, but just something to keep an eye on.
Also make sure to taste it every so often while infusing, because the flavor may get to where you want it before our quoted infusion time. This is entirely up to you and your taste buds.
When adding the simple syrup to the final lilac infused vodka, it can be hot, this isn’t an issue. But, just make sure you have the amount of sweetness you want. You can always add more, but you can’t take away if it gets too sweet.
If you let the sugared liquor sit for a bit before using it will mix and be more flavorful as well. Give it a few days, and check the sweetness level, and add more if you would like. But, the flavors will be strong and sweet, and then you can get to shaking up some drinks! Use this lilac liqueur in our Lilac Gin Sour, too!
Make some Strawberry Vodka, or Rhubarb Infused Vodka, too!
Tips and Tricks
- We tried a mix of white rum and vodka as the base for the liqueur. We didn’t like it as much as just vodka, but it was a little sweeter, so keep that in mind if you want to do a split base liquor.
- Remember to remove the green part of the flowers. You can always use scissors and cut off the blossoms if they don’t easily remove from the green stem.
- Before placing the flowers in vodka, make sure to shake off bugs and rinse. Alcohol will kill anything, but you don’t want that extra stuff in your infused vodka.
- Great to use in a Lilac Gin and Tonic, added into a Lilac gin fizz, or a Lilac Collins cocktail!
How Long with Infused Alcohol Last?
Around 6 months if it makes it that long! But, the sugar is preservative, and you shouldn’t see any changes until after 6 months, and then just make sure to check it before using.
And lastly, please note the liqueur will not have the lilacs color. Only color will come from the blueberries added as optional above. Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong!
Cheers! Try out our Strawberry Infused Campari, too!
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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!
Other Homemade Liqueurs
- Allspice Dram
- Homemade Raspberry Liqueur – Creative Culinary
- Violet Liqueur – Your Guardian Chef
- Homemade Hibiscus Liqueur – She Keeps a Lovely Home
- Homemade Orange Liqueur – Attainable Sustainable
Lilac Liqueur
This lilac liqueur is easy to make, and is full of the floral flavor that lilac brings in the spring. Great in floral cocktails!
Ingredients
- 2 cups vodka
- 2 cups lilac flowers, rinsed and taken off of stems
- 1 cup of sugar syrup, more info in recipe
- 3 blueberries (more info below), optional
Instructions
- Combine the lilac flowers with vodka in a container with a lid. We used a jar and placed it in a dark place for 2 weeks.
- You can check your infusion after a week, but we liked the flavor after 2 the most.
- When you like the flavor of the infusion, make at least a cup of simple syrup to add to your infused lilac vodka. Add in the blueberries whie cooking, if you want added color in your liqueur.
- Strain out the lilac flowers and discard them.
- We actually liked it a little sweeter, so we added 1 1/4 cups of simple syrup, but feel free to add that amount or less.
- Store in a bottle or jar with a lid.
- Should keep well for at least 6 months, if it lasts that long!
- Cheers!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 ounceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 71Sodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 1.9g
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