Krupnik Honey Spiced Liqueur Recipe

A Krupnik Honey Spiced Liqueur Recipe with a twist, it makes a great holiday gift perfect for drinking all year long. Can be served hot or cold in a variety of ways.

 

Today's recipe is another one of my husband's family's that has been written and photographed by him. Personally, I don't know much about Krupnik, except that it is traditionally made with vodka, honey, and spices. In this Krupnik Honey Spiced Liqueur Recipe, my husband uses Everclear grain alcohol, adds tea, and spices that remind me of Fall, like cloves and cinnamon. With that, here is my husband, Don Martin.

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With colder weather approaching, here is a drink that’ll warm your body and take off the chill whether you’re taking an autumn hike, hanging around a camp fire, tailgating or after snow.Where did the Krupnik Honey Spiced Liqueur recipe originate?

Where did the Krupnik Honey Spiced Liqueur Recipe originate?

My Lithuanian Great-Aunts used to make an alcoholic concoction they called “Honey Dew” – strictly for medicinal purposes ;-).  As I was researching their recipe, I found out that this was most likely a version of a drink called Krupnik (Polish, Belarusian) or Krupnikas (Lithuanian).  It is a traditional amber colored sweet honey-infused alcoholic drink (similar to a liqueur) steeped in aromatic spices but, definitely not to be confused with Polish soup also known as krupnik.

Krupnik is an ancient liqueur, recipes are recorded in the diaries of the szlachta (the noble class of Poland and Lithuania) and many families closely guard their recipes that have been passed down through generations.  Lore has it that the liqueur was created by the Benedictine monks in the 16th century at a monastery in Nesvizh which was founded by Prince Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł.  Krupnik was used as a common medicinal disinfectant by Polish soldiers in World War II.  Although the majority of Polish households don’t serve alcoholic beverages at the solemn wigilia (Christmas Eve) dinner, some allow Krupnik “to help the fish swim”.

What you’ll need to make Krupnik Honey Spiced Liqueur;

• 750ml 151 proof grain alcohol (Everclear)
• 1.5 tbsp loose tea (my Great-Aunts' secret – they used tea instead of just water)
• 1 liter of water
• 2 cups clover honey (locally sourced honeys are the best)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp orange extract
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 12 cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks

How to prepare;

Crush the dry ingredients (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon sticks) in a mortar and pestle and add to a French press with the 1.5 tbsp loose tea.  (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, put the dry ingredients in a zip lock bag and crush with a hammer - don't pound it to dust, just break them into smaller pieces.) Additional editors note: A French  press isn't necessary. Simply boil the water in a pot or tea kettle and brew in the pot or kettle.

 

Boil 1 liter of water, add to french press and brew for 10 minutes.  Pour hot tea solution into a pitcher, add honey, orange and lemon extracts and mix.

Allow to cool to luke warm before adding alcohol and mixing.  Funnel into large bottles and cap.

 

Now patience… 

You’ll need to let it the cloudy mixture sit for at least a few weeks, in a dark, cool place for gravity to do the work and pull the sediment to the bottom (I haven’t found any better method of removing the sediment due to the thickness of the honey in the liqueur, coffee filters block up and cheese cloth allows too much sediment through).

You’ll then siphon the clear amber liquid out the bottles using small tubing (a process similar to racking wine) into new bottles or decanters.  (I also use a container with a spout that is off-set from the bottom of the container to slowly drain the liquid above the sediment into other bottles.)  I’ll then take the all cloudy remains, consolidate it into a separate bottle and allow that to settle again – trying to squeeze all the booze out that I can before finally discarding the sediment. Depending upon how well you siphon (and the amount of sediment you’re willing to put up with), you may need to re-rack the liqueur a few times.  I’ve read that Krupnik should be re-racked over a full year before serving but, it usually doesn’t last that long for me and my friends.

Serving

I would guesstimate this recipe at ~66 proof (~ 33% alcohol).  It may be served hot, warm, at room temperature, cold, chilled on ice in a cordial glass or by the shot.  Many times my family would just serve it as a sipping shot alongside a beer (Stegmaier was their preferred brand – Ring-A-Ding-Ding, Do the Stegmaier Thing) or just nipped out of a pocket flask.  When served warm, it may be paired with chocolate or another small rich sweet treat.  It also serves as a great additive to tea for a hot-toddy.

NA ZDROWIE!

Looking for more alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes? Here are just a few:

Bacon Jalapeno Bloody Mary

Creamy Espresso Hot Chocolate

Peach Mimosas 

Watermelon Punch