Strawberry Coconut Cordial

[lostnbronx]

Mixed this up just now, into a plastic screw-top 2 quart jug.

1 pound frozen unsweetened strawberries (thawed and pureed)
200ml Coco Casa brand cream of coconut (approx.)
4 teaspoons table sugar (heaping)
700ml Everclear (approx.)
700ml water (approx.)
1 1/2 teaspoons medium toast American oak chips

Filled this up to the tippity-top, and capped it.

ABV = 47.5% (or thereabouts)

After experimenting with the Brita Treatment on low-quality vodkas, I finally wised up and counted the pennies involved. Everclear is over double the ABV of those cheap liquors; is very pure; and is made from the same ingredients. Diluting it down to the right ABV for consumption gives me two bottles of smooth "vodka", for about $9.50 USD per; as opposed to the filtered stuff, which is something of a pain to treat, comes out harsher, and costs about $12 to $14 USD after you add in the expense of the filter.

I used almost all the bottle here, but I consider this a savings. So far, I'm into this cordial for about $24.00 USD. We'll see what it's like in a couple weeks, as I want to keep tabs on the oak infusion.

The cream of coconut seemed like a decent compromise: it has a nice coconut flavor, already has lots of sugar, and I won't have any oil rising to the top. I added it more-or-less to taste here.

Why pair strawberries and coconut together in the first place? Well, I tried an herb tea not long ago that had that combination of flavors, and I found it surprisingly delicious. I have similar hopes for this.

-David

 

[lostnbronx]

The oak chips have mostly sunk to the bottom, and the flavor has undergone an evolution. At first it was strongly of coconut, with a sweet strawberry aftertaste. It was also very harsh. After a week, the coconut faded somewhat, and the strawberry seemed to come to the fore; it was also substantially smoother (though still too harsh for enjoyment).

By today, the coconut had faded to the background and was more of a support flavor than anything that could be considered distinctive as itself. The strawberry was very obvious and nice, but still too "small" for my taste. There was a substantial amount of sweetness, and this helped balance things. The alcohol flavor was quite harsh yet. Color was a miasmic pink -- not pleasant to look at, really. The oak may have had some effect in smoothing the flavor out, but it wasn't where I wanted it yet.

I strained the cordial through multiple layers of nylon mesh, then added another one pound of pureed frozen strawberries, and 2 heaping teaspoons of medium American oak chips. Filled it to the tippity top and shook. Color now is a deeper pink, almost red and rather pretty.

I'll check this again in two weeks or so.

-David

 

[lostnbronx]

I strained this today. It turned out smooth and nicely fruity. The coconut has faded into obscurity, but it lends a soft rounding out to the sharpness of the (admittedly low-quality) strawberries. It's a fine complement to the overall flavor -- though, to be honest, it is not the taste profile I originally had in mind. Very good, but afield from my goal.

Straining is not filtering, so this is not a clear drink. I put a 750 ml bottle of it aside to clarify on its own, and the rest went in the fridge for more immediate consumption.

I'm pronouncing this cordial a success, and the recipe a decent springboard for future batches.

-David