General

Boil all ingredients for about 10 minutes. The use of lemon juice, when making liqueurs, prevents crystallisation.

Always seal containers - dustbins with their lids, jerry cans with sandwich bag and rubber band.

Always ‘start’ the yeast before adding to mixture by putting in jar, adding a teaspoon of sugar and a little lukewarm water - leave for a few minutes until you see it starting to bubble. Always melt sugar in boiling water before adding to mixture.

Ensure your containers and bottles are kept clean and dry (best to store empty bottles upside down without tops on). Always decant the beverage - do not pour straight from the bottle.

‘Wine yeast’ may be used in place of common bakers yeast. When you make your own wine, decant the fluid just before fermentation stops and save the sediment, however, strain any coarse fruit etc. Store the sediment or ‘wine yeast’ in the refrigerator. When you make your basic mash, use the sediment in lieu of the bakers yeast. ‘Wine yeast’ has developed a greater tolerance for alcohol than the common bakers yeast. As ‘wine yeast’ reproduces during fermentation in your basic mash, it will yield as much as 50% more alcohol content than the common bakers yeast.

Spirits / Liqueurs

Put the syrup in a 1 litre bottle. Dissolve the instant coffee in a little hot water and then add to the syrup. Add the almond essence and alcohol, then fill bottle with water. Chill.

Add 1 ½ of anise flavouring to 2 quarts of 84 proof (the drink will turn milky when served with water).

Whisk the eggs, condensed and evaporated milk. Melt instant coffee in a little hot water. Add coffee, vanilla extract and alcohol. Whisk again. Bottle and keep chilled.

Pour sugar into saucepan and add a little water and lemon juice. Boil sugar and water until it caramelises. Add cold water (outside - it will spit) to make it liquid. Allow to cool. Add to alcohol and bottle. Allow to stand for at least 24 hours.

Add dried apples to 100 proof. Let stand for 2 days. Strain.

Put the peel of the grapefruits, including some of the white pulp (this gives the bitter taste) in a jar, add the lemonade and raspberries. Fill the jar with the alcohol and let stand for 5 days. Filter and bottle.

Pour a quart of 180 proof into a wide mouth jar. Suspend a well coloured ornage from a string about ¼ inch above the alcohol level and cap tightly. Let it stand unopened for 14 days. Oils from the orange peel will drip into the alcohol, flavouring and turning it yellow. Add the simple syrup (after allowing it to cool) and stir slowly until thoroughly mixed. Bottle.

Dissolve sugar in water and mix in alcohol. Add the zest of the oranges and ½ lemon and a little pulp from both. Allow to stand for 2 weeks, shaking every other day. Filter and bottle.

Add orange zest to the alcohol and let stand for 3 days. Put coffee and cocoa in coffee filter and pour the alcohol slowly through the filter. Flush the filter with 300 ml water. Add 200 ml simple syrup to the mixture and let stand till clear. Filter into bottle and chill.

Thoroughly mix the chocolate syrup and caro syrup. Then add the alcohol and vanilla extract. Bottle.

1 lb drip grind coffee
2 ¼ quart water
3 lbs sugar
1 ¼ quart 180 proof
2 oz vanilla extract

Boil coffee in 1 ¼ quarts water and simmer for 4 minutes. Strain liquid through cheesecloth. Dissolve sugar in 1 quart water and boil for 5 minutes. Add coffee concentrate and cool. Add alcohol and vanilla extract.

Dissolve sugar in water; add caro syrup and boil for 10 minutes. When cool add 2/3 quart of 100 proof, flavouring and colouring to suit.

Mix simple syrup, caro syrup and whisky essence. Bring to boil and cool. Add to alcohol and let stand for a week.

Wash/ slice lemons, oranges (grapefruits) with the skin on and peel / slice potatoes. Dissolve all the sugar in boiling water, add fruit and potatoes and make up to 25 litres with water. Add yeast and leave, stirring for the first five days. Leave until fermentation stops (approx 10 days). Remove solids, rack off and leave to clear. Bottle.

Heat water and dissolve sugar. Mix all ingredients in container. Leave to ferment (approx. 3 - 4 weeks). Strain and rack off. Leave to clear and then bottle.

Pour red grape juice and Ribena into container. Add sliced lemons (using pips and rind). Soak tea bag in cup of boiling water, add liquid to container. Melt sugar in boiling water and add to container. Add water to make 25 litres and then add yeast. Shake well and seal container. Leave until fermentation stops. Rack off and leave for about a week to settle. Add alcohol if desired and leave to settle for 24 hours. Bottle.

Melt sugar in water and add to container. Add juice and yeast. Seal and leave until fermentation stops (3 - 4 weeks). Rack off and leave to clear. Bottle. May be spiked with 500ml alcohol if desired.

Put juices in a large bowl. Puree the bananas. Add puree and alcohol to juice and mix well. Bottle in plastic water bottles and put in the freezer.

Dissolve coffee in 140ml boiling water. Add syrup, alcohol and vanilla extract. Top up with 150ml water. Bottle, shake and allow to cool.

Melt sugar, add the raisins and rice. Make up to 12 quarts with water and add the yeast. Leave until fermentation stops. Rack off and leave to clear. Bottle.

Mix raisins, potatoes and sugar with the hot water, allow to cool. Add yeast and ferment for 10 days, stirring each day. Strain into another container and allow to settle for 4 - 5 days. Strain off again and leave to clear (about 3 - 4 weeks). Taste will improve with age.