Atomic Fireball Liqueur

Remember when we were little kids and you could get Atomic Fireball individual candies for a penny or five cents depending on the era and rate of inflation? I wonder how much they are these days. In any case, I was trying to make a spiced cranberry liqueur when I came up with this recipe, but when we sipped it after steeping it, the cinnamon had really taken over, and my husband said it tasted like an Atomic Fireball candy. You know, that’s really not such a bad thing.  I think this is pretty good served over ice and sipped carefully. I’ve mixed it with some kombucha (yes, not good for the probiotics, but it tasted good). It’d be great with some hard cider, in a spice chai tea, and I bet it would perk up your coffee.  It’s pretty easy to make, and it’s a nice thing to round out your bar for cocktails. If you make some interesting drinks, let us know. Also, I tried to take a pretty picture with the ice shot glasses again, but you can see why ice shot glasses can be fraught with peril, as the bottom melted out before I could take the shot.

Atomic Fireball Liqueur

• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 whole allspice berries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of water
• zest of a lemon
• 1 cup of cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 3/4 cups of vodka (I used a vodka made only from potatoes,  be careful as some vodkas may also use wheat or corn)

Add the sugar, water, lemon zest, and cranberries to a sauce pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer until the cranberries begin to burst, for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Use an immersion (stick) blender to break up the cranberries enough so the juice is released, but the mixture stays chunky.

Pour the mixture into a mason jar. Add the vodka, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, and allspice to the jar. Seal the jar with an air tight lid and shake vigorously.

Let steep at room temperature for 2 to 7 days, shaking occasionally and sampling to check to see whether you’re happy with the flavor.  I decided mine was done in about two and half days.  Using a strainer lined with cheesecloth, strain the mixture, pressing down to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Once strained, keep in an air tight container either at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to six months.