I’ve been reading The River Cottage’s The Booze Handbook. When it first arrived, I was immediately intrigued by the Dandelion Infused Brandy. I’m no stranger to making cordials, it’s part of the summer fiercely D.I.Y. course after all. I have tossed many things into a jar with some vodka or brandy just to see what will happen but for some reason dandelions had never occurred to me and what an oversight that has been but no more.
This is so easy and would be great gift material too so make a big batch and look for pretty bottles at yard sales this summer.
Because the green parts of the dandelion can be bitter, only the petals are infused. Once the flowers are harvested, use a pair of scissors to cut only the petals from the flower. Do this over a clean jar for ease. I won’t lie, this gets tedious so be prepared for that if you’re thinking of going with something larger than a quart.
Once the jar is full, add a Tablespoon or two of sugar (to taste), add a bit of brandy and stir it all together to dissolve the sugar. Now, fill the jar with brandy, leaving 1/2″ head space. Cover the jar and let sit for two days.
Strain the cordial, pressing the trapped liquid from the petals with the back of a spoon. I used a fine meshed strainer for this. Store the strained cordial in a clean bottle and serve over ice or in club soda if desired. Enjoy!
Dandelion Infused Brandy
Make dandelion infused brandy for a delicious homemade cordial that makes for tasty, foraged gift giving.
Ingredients
- Dandelion Petals
- 1-2 Tablespoons Sugar
- Brandy
Instructions
- Using scissors, cut the petals off the flowers over a small, clean jar until it is full.
- Add sugar to taste.
- Cover the petals with brandy, leaving ½" headspace.
- Cover the jar and let it sit for 2 days.
- Strain and squeeze all of the liquid out of the petals.
- Store in a clean jar and serve over ice or in club soda.
Shared with Wildcrafting Wednesday.
[sc:Useadsenselarge ]
Mary
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
This will be my first try at any DIY.. so, what kind of brandy did you use and do you feel there are different options for the kind of brandy? TIA
Kathie Lapcevic
Thursday 18th of March 2021
I would use a mid-grade brandy here something you enjoy the flavor of but not something that is super expensive. You're going to flavor and sweeten it anyway so it feels a bit silly to use something super expensive but also you don't want something so cheap you don't enjoy the flavor.
Jen
Wednesday 29th of June 2016
Just stumbled on your wonderful site.
Only two days to steep? Wow. In your research have you noticed a particular reason for that time-frame?
Homespun Seasonal Living
Wednesday 29th of June 2016
I agree normally I let things steep much longer (at least a month). However this was infusion was made following a recipe in the book mentioned and so I used their method, it did work great. The dandelion might get bitter if left for too long.
Sarah-Ann
Thursday 14th of May 2015
I never thought about Dandelion brandy before. This and your oil post is great, very helpful. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from Homeacre Hop. Sarah @ Living Intentionally Simple