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Homemade Irish Cream

I have a list -- a list of festive holiday things  -- and this week, since Pete is off work, we are planning on checking off a few of the items.  One item we checked off was homemade Irish Cream!

Pete and I both enjoy having a glass of Bailey's at the holidays, so I thought it might be fun to make some from scratch.  I found out that it was super easy and ridiculously delicious.  So much yummier than the premade stuff!

There are a bunch of recipes out there, but they are mostly all about the same.  Here's a recipe I cobbled together to create my own version:

Holiday Irish Cream Recipe

1 cup Jameson's Irish Whiskey

1 14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Tbsp. good quality Chocolate Syrup

2 tsp. Espresso Powder (I get mine from King Arthur Flour)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Blend everything except the whipping cream in a blender for about a minute.  Add the whipping cream and blend until combined (only a few seconds).

Pour into a pretty bottle or jar and refrigerate.  Shake before using.  Should keep for about 3-4 weeks.

 

The Strawberry Infused Vodka is Awesome!

I used that strawberry infused vodka that I made a few weeks ago in a vodka tonic and you can really taste the strawberries!  This will definitely become an annual tradition.

Strawberry Infused Vodka

It's going to be very difficult to wait two weeks before cracking open the strawberry vodka I've got brewing in the pantry.  

We've been getting about a pint of strawberries from the garden every day, which is awesome, so when I skipped Monday (our super busy day here), I was in for a good harvest on Tuesday.  In fact, I had enough for the strawberry vodka with plenty left for snacking.

I've seen numerous posts around the blogs concerning strawberry infused vodka and it appears that all you have to do is cut up some berries and add the liquor.  I did just that, filling a clean pint jar 3/4 full of cut berries and then filling the jar with my favorite vodka.  (Yes, it's a giant bottle -- but it was on sale at Binny's for nearly the same price as the regular size.)

I'm seriously looking forward to a strawberry vodka tonic and perhaps a sparkling strawberry vodka lemonade.  Yum!