I am a sucker for cinnamon and blueberries; I wish I knew why. Maybe it's because I'm not much of a cinnamon freak, and I find its juxtaposition with the blueberries generates barely a hint of the Red Hots Saturday-matinee-movie sucker punch so ubiquitous in cinnamon-flavored products. This liqueur has a beautifully balanced flavor and is a gorgeous color as well.
2 pints blueberries, stemmed, or 1 1/2 pounds frozen blueberries, thawed
1 cup Simple Syrup
1 fifth (750 ml/3 1/4 cups) light rum (80 proof)
4 cinnamon sticks, smashed into shards
1. Muddle the blueberries and simple syrup with a wooden spoon in a half-gallon jar. Stir in the rum and cinnamon.
2. Seal the jar and put it in a cool, dark cabinet until the liquid smells and tastes strongly of blueberries, about 7 days.
3. Strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean quart jar. Do not push on the solids to extract more liquid.
4. Seal and store in a cool, dark cabinet. Use within 1 year.
Excerpted from Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits © by Andrew Schloss, used with permission from Storey Publishing.
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