Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur Recipe
I've been making my own Irish Cream for at least 10 years. I have been known to fiddle with the recipe but always return to this Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur Recipe in the end, because it's a winner. I shared the recipe with some of my neighbours a few years ago and they declared it to be better than shop-bought. So there you are.
There are all manner of reasons to make your own Irish Cream. I usually only think about Irish Cream at Christmas, and I'm unlikely to drink a whole litre of shop-bought in a week (ahem). Assuming I won't, I'll forget about the left-over bit and find it a bit separated and yuck next Christmas (or how old is it? I can't quite remember). I prefer to make the amount I know I'll drink, then make more when it's needed. I know what ingredients are in it. I love giving it away. The taste is better than shop-bought. It doesn't give you that odd 'after taste' sensation in your mouth that some Irish Cream Liqueurs do. You can manage the amount of alcohol you add according to your taste. And as the years have gone by, it is becoming increasingly the case that it's cheaper to make your own than to buy it.
And the best reason of all to make your own: it's delicious!
Why my Homemade Irish Cream Recipe contains Glycerine and Creme de Cacao
This recipe differs from the bazillions you'll find online, mainly because of 2 ingredients. Glycerine gives the mouthfeel to liqueurs that you'll be familiar with, probably without even realising it. It is that-certain-something you can't put your finger on which can be missing from homemade liqueurs compared with shop-bought.
The second ingredient you don't see in all Homemade Irish Cream Recipes is Creme de Cacao liqueur essence. This adds a cocoa and vanilla flavour to your Irish Cream and makes it taste richer. You only need to use a bit from the 50ml bottle to make 1 litre of Irish Cream. You can add any left over to vodka and water (full instructions on the bottle) or to the base which it is sometimes sold with and, happily, you'll then have Creme de Cacao liqueur too.
My recipe calls for 1 cup of whisky. If you prefer less alcohol or want to keep the cost down, simply reduce this amount. If you're looking to make the real deal, you should probably include Irish Whisky though I'm a cheapskate and use the cheapest I can find.
This recipe makes one litre of gorgeous Irish Cream Liqueur. If you want a different amount then simply scale up or down accordingly.
The Best Homemade Irish Cream Recipe
Ingredients
A 397g tin of Condensed Milk
360g Evaporated Milk
1 tsp Glycerine
2 tsp Creme de Cacao essence
1 tsp coffee powder
1 cup (250ml) of whiskey - less if you'd like to keep the cost down/make a less alcoholic version. Tradition says use Irish Whiskey but any whiskey will do.
Grated dark chocolate to serve. Just to add to the general over-indulgence of it all.
You will also need
A blender - I use my trusty Nutribullet 900
A funnel for bottling
A bottle(s) which will fit in the fridge.
Put everything except the grated chocolate in a blender.
Blend well, ensuring the condensed milk is fully incorporated, as it will want to sink to the bottom.
Pour into an attractive bottle.
Store it in the fridge. Whilst I'm not entirely sure refrigeration is necessary because of the amount of sugar and alcohol in this recipe, colder temperatures tend to keep the Irish Cream together for longer. When it sits around for days at room temperature it can separate. There's nothing wrong with it when that happens, just give the bottle a shake to reblend the ingredients. It happens because homemade cream liqueurs don't contain the additives (such as emulsifiers) that commercial ones include to keep the mixture together.
So shake the bottle well before use, to ensure it's well mixed.
Serve in shot glasses with grated dark chocolate over the top. Or in a tumbler over ice.
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