When we were in Italy a few years ago, we bought a little souvenir bottle of pistachio cream liqueur. It was in a bottle the shape of Italy and cost a grand total of about 1 euro. It held exactly enough to make one batch of really good pistachio biscotti. We looked for more, but the state liquor store in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not stock it. We made our own and it was pretty good.

Fast forward a few years and Victor started thinking about the 2017 Cookies. Knowing how much I like pistachios, he decided a pistachio liqueur – not cream liqueur – was needed for this holiday season.

Again, it’s something the state store doesn’t sell. Time to make a batch.

The process is really simple… you soak pistachios in alcohol for a couple of weeks, strain, add a simple syrup, and you’re done. Really simple.

Pistachio Liqueur

  • 8 oz roasted pistachios
  • 3 cups vodka
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup simple syrup

Coarsely chop pistachios and place in a mason jar. Add raisins and vodka. Seal and let sit about 2 weeks, shaking now and a gain.

Strain pistachios very well through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Strain, again, through a coffee filter.

Make a simple syrup with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Cool.

Mix syrup with pistachio vodka. Pour into a 750ml bottle and enjoy!

About 2 weeks before our latest vacation Victor set the pistachios to soak. We shook them now and again, but left them to soak while we were gone. They ended up sitting for about a month, total – which only made the base that much richer.

The end result is an extremely rich pistachio beverage. Great for the planned cookies, but it will also be great as a drink on its own.

I see a lot of cookies and other goodies coming from this!