Give the gift of homemade booze: 23 easy recipes for DIY liqueur (2024)

FAQs

Can you gift homemade alcohol? ›

Once you make a big batch of infused alcohol, it's time to bottle it for gifts. One way to get bottles is to save any bottles you use throughout the year and re-use them for gifts.

In English, moonshine is also known as mountain dew, choop, hooch (abbreviation of hoochinoo, name of a specific liquor, from Tlingit), homebrew, mulekick, shine, sneaky pete, white dog, white lightning, white/corn liquor, white/corn whiskey, pass around, firewater, and bootleg.

Regardless of whether you possess a still that can be legally, according to federal law, operated, be advised it is illegal to distill alcohol without having either a "distilled spirits permit" or a "federal fuel alcohol permit." It does not matter if the alcohol is for personal use only, not for sale, etc.

Most homemade liqueurs start with vodka. This spirit is an ideal base for liqueurs because it's colorless and flavorless, making it the perfect blank canvas. Start by creating some of the most popular liqueur flavors, like coffee, amaretto, and Irish cream — they all rely on vodka for their kick.

The shelf life of a homemade liqueur depends on several factors. If you have decided to prepare a simple fruit liqueur, you can usually expect that it will last for several months thanks to the alcohol it contains.

Making Your Own Wine At Home

You will be allowed by the state of California to produce 100 gallons of wine per adult in your home with a maximum of 200 gallons. You can share the wine that you make with others inside your home but should in no way being selling the wine.

“Some people give more than that, and some might give a coffee shop gift card depending on their staff and their budget.” Alcohol is also a common one, but it's important to be mindful of those employees who don't drink. “A heartfelt letter to the group is so powerful too, and it means so much,” adds Mitchell.

Similar to any gift, presentation is important when it comes to gifting alcohol. A brown bag won't make the cut. Instead, buy a festive-looking packaging and throw in a fancy “To/From” gift tag or a holiday card. Pair your gift with something else.

Place your bottle of liquor in an empty box so it isn't obvious what your gift is. Wrap the box with wrapping paper and you're ready to give your gift. If you don't want the bottle to move around in the box, you can stuff some packing material like newspaper or gift tissue paper.