Rose Hip Vodka & Liqueur

I am not a vodka drinker. But even I can get behind rose hip vodka and rose hip liqueur. The fruit gives a vibrant color to the vodka, anywhere from pale orange to deep red, depending on the color of the rose hips you start with. It also lends a silky texture and a mild, sweet/tart taste to the spirit.

HOW TO MAKE Rose Hip Vodka

This recipe works with fresh or dehydrated hips, but if you use dried hips, be sure to rehydrate them in water first, so they don’t absorb all your vodka! Soak one cup of dried rose hips in two cups of water overnight then strain the following morning. The hips should double in size. (Save the rose hip water to cook with; it adds a lovely color to rice.)

Place two cups of roughly chopped, fresh or rehydrated rose hips in a one quart glass jar with a tight lid. Fill the jar with vodka and put the jar in a dark place. Give it a shake every day, if you remember. Check the color, and when it pleases you, start checking the flavor. The flavor of your hips will vary, depending on what kind of rose you harvested from, and when you harvested them.

When you’re satisfied with the color and flavor of your vodka, strain it through a coffee filter to get a lovely, clear liquid. Pour the strained liquid into a bottle and store it with your regular vodka, although why you’d want to use regular vodka when you could have rose hip vodka, I’ll never know. Rose hip vodka does not require refrigeration, although I think it tastes better ice cold.

HOW TO MAKE Rose Hip Liqueur

You can use rose hip vodka in any traditional vodka cocktail, or take it a step further and make rose hip liqueur. Combine two parts rose hip vodka with one part rose hip syrup in a jar with a tight lid and let it sit in the dark for three to four weeks. This is a superb cocktail ingredient and is also delicious alone, over ice.  

Note: If you’re someone who keeps their vodka on ice, be aware that rose hip vodka may turn cloudy in the freezer. This depends on how much vodka is in the container and how much moisture was in the rose hips when they were used. A few minutes on the counter will turn the vodka back to it’s clear, beautiful self.