How to Make Raspberry Liqueur at Home: Simple Homemade Recipe

Homemade liqueurs are easy to make and fun; great gifts too. Homemade Raspberry Liqueur is beautiful and delicious!

I’ve been making homemade liqueurs for years. Limoncello started me on the path and soon I was experimenting with cranberry, coffee and chocolate liqueurs. Those recipes often used vodka and produced reliable, delicious results. Wanting to capture the flavor and charm of a favorite store-bought raspberry liqueur without the extra complexity, I developed an easy raspberry liqueur recipe that highlights fresh fruit, vodka and a touch of sugar.

Some commercial recipes include many ingredients that can complicate the process. My goal was simplicity: raspberries, vodka and sugar. That pared-down approach keeps the fruit’s bright flavor front and center and makes the process approachable for home cooks and gift makers.

As with many older posts, this one deserved an update. The original photos were outdated and didn’t do the liqueur justice, so I refreshed the images and the wording. Raspberry liqueur is visually striking — a deep, pretty pink — and I wanted the presentation to match how delicious it tastes.

Because presentation matters, good photography helps people notice and try a recipe. With spring approaching and raspberries appearing in markets (or available frozen year-round), now is a great time to make a batch and have it ready for warm-weather sipping and entertaining.

I did try a more elaborate recipe using Cognac, and while it produced a nice result, it added cost and complexity and the bright, fresh raspberry character I wanted was less pronounced. That led me back to the basics: vodka, sugar and fruit. The simpler method captures the fresh berry flavor you expect from a raspberry liqueur.

This homemade raspberry liqueur is very satisfying. I sampled it after three weeks of steeping so I could share the recipe in time for seasonal entertaining, but the liqueur continues to improve with age. Letting it mellow for another few weeks will smooth the edges and deepen the flavor.

For the base spirit I use vodka. A higher-proof vodka (100 proof if you can find it) extracts flavor more effectively from fruit and shortens the steeping time slightly. If you’re limited to 80 proof, it still works; you may simply need to let the mixture steep a bit longer to reach the same depth of flavor.

Once finished, this raspberry liqueur is very versatile. Serve it over ice in lowball glasses, chilled in cordial glasses straight from the freezer, or add a splash to sparkling wine for an elegant cocktail. It also makes a lovely ingredient in a Raspberry Cosmopolitan, Bellini, margarita, or mojito.

More Ideas for Raspberry Liqueur

• Use it in raspberry bellinis, margaritas, or mojitos.
• Mix with gin and a splash of lemon juice over ice for a bright, refreshing drink.

For dessert, spoon a little raspberry liqueur over vanilla ice cream and finish with a few shavings of chocolate for a simple, elegant treat. I served tiny scoops in cordial glasses topped with liqueur and shaved chocolate last summer — an indulgent and crowd-pleasing finale to a meal.

This recipe is straightforward and rewarding — no complicated techniques or rare ingredients. Make a jar now and enjoy it all season; it also makes a thoughtful homemade gift.

PIN IT! ‘Homemade Raspberry Liqueur’

Homemade Raspberry Liqueur

Barb

It’s fun and delicious to make your own liqueurs and this Raspberry Liqueur is one of our favorites!

4.50 from 50 or more votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Additional Time 30 days d

Total Time 30 days d 10 minutes mins

Course Liqueurs

Cuisine American

Servings 15 Servings

Calories 204 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 24 ounces raspberries fresh or frozen
• 3 ½ cups vodka
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions

 

• Pour raspberries into a large jar and cover with sugar. Pour vodka over all and close with lid.
• Shake several times the first day until all of the sugar has dissolved.
• Store in a cool, dark place for a minimum of one month (I recommend 6 weeks, longer is fine too). Shake every day or two.
• When the liqueur is ready to be bottled, line a strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth, preferably butter muslin and place it over a large pot or bowl. Pour the liquor over the cheesecloth slowly letting the liquid drain while the strainer catches the solids. Repeat if necessary.
• When ready, store in bottles. I like to keep one in the fridge for an icy after dinner drink!

Notes

I usually use a large bottle of 100 proof vodka when I can find it; if you use a different brand in a 750 ml bottle, you can use the whole bottle.

Frozen berries work well if fresh raspberries are out of season or pricey. If fresh berries are abundant, use them for the brightest flavor.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Raspberry Liqueur

Serving Size

 

2 ounces

Amount per Serving

Calories

204

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

0.3

g

0

%

Sodium

 

1

mg

0

%

Carbohydrates

 

19

g

6

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Calories

204

Keyword chambord, cocktails, homemade, liqueur, raspberry, vodka

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