Quince Liqueur

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Quince liqueur turns a few raw quinces into a pale pink, perfumed liqueur with no cooking at all. Grated fruit, a little sugar, and a handful of rose petals steep in vodka for a couple of months, and you end up with homemade quince vodka for sipping, gifting, and fall cocktails.

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Quinces look like a cross between an apple and a pear, but they don’t act like either one. Raw, they’re hard and sour, and too astringent to eat out of hand. Leave a ripe one on the counter, though, and it’ll fill the kitchen with a scent somewhere between apple, pear, and rose.

They’re an old fruit, too. The Greeks and Romans preserved quinces in honey, and the word marmalade comes from marmelo, the Portuguese word for quince. The first marmalades were thick quince pastes, a lot like Spanish membrillo.

Quinces are hard to find in most American grocery stores, so look for them at farmers markets and orchards in the fall. Once you have a bag of them, there are more than 50 quince recipes to try, from quince jam and quince jelly to poached quince.

This recipe adds a handful of rose petals to the jar. Quinces and roses belong to the same plant family, and the petals bring out the floral side of the fruit. Pink or red petals also tint the liqueur a soft pink.

It’s the same jar method as my rhubarb liqueur and dandelion liqueur: fruit or flowers, sugar, and spirits, then time. Black currant liqueur is a close cousin. If you have a lot of quinces, you can also turn them into quince wine.

Notes from My Kitchen

I’ve made quince jelly, quince butter, and quince preserves over the years, and every one of them takes a long time on the stove. Quince stays hard much longer than an apple or a pear, and it needs a splash of water or juice so it doesn’t scorch while it softens.

I’ve made jelly from flowering quince too, which is much more tart than regular quince and has so much pectin that it sets up beautifully. This liqueur is the easy one in the bunch. It’s just a grater, a jar, and some patience.

Ingredients for Quince Liqueur

The base recipe has four ingredients: grated quince, sugar, rose petals, and vodka. Brandy or gin can stand in for the vodka, dried rose petals work as well as fresh, and the cinnamon stick is up to you.

• Quince: Pick ripe quinces that have turned fully yellow and smell strongly of fruit. Green ones aren’t ripe yet and have much less aroma. Rub off the soft fuzz with a dry towel, but leave the skin on, since it holds a lot of the color and flavor.
• Sugar: Plain white sugar keeps the quince flavor front and center. The amount is flexible, and it’s easy to stir in more after straining, so start on the low end.
• Rose petals: Use petals from unsprayed roses, or dried rose petals. Pink and red petals give the most color. Leave them out for a golden liqueur that tastes only of quince, and save extra petals for homemade rose cordial.
• Cinnamon stick: Optional. A cinnamon stick adds a little warmth without taking over the fruit.
• Vodka: Any vodka that’s 80 proof or higher works. I use a mid-shelf vodka for my herbal tinctures, and it’s the right choice here too, since cheap vodka’s harsh edge comes through after months in the jar, and you won’t taste the difference with top-shelf vodka under all that fruit.

How to Make Quince Liqueur

Most of the work happens on two days: the day you fill the jar and the day you strain it. In between, the jar sits in the pantry for 2 to 3 months.

Plan on about 30 minutes to grate and pack the jar, and about 15 minutes to strain and bottle.

Wipe and Core the Quince

Rub each quince with a dry towel to take off the soft fuzz, then rinse and dry it. Don’t peel it.

Slice the four sides off each quince, cutting around the core. The core is hard and woody, so it’s easier to cut around it than through it.

Grate the Quince

Grate the pieces, skin and all, on the large holes of a box grater, or use the shredding disc on a food processor. Work quickly, because cut quince browns fast. It won’t hurt the liqueur, but it dulls the color.

Don’t cook the quince for this one. Cooking pulls a lot of pectin out of the fruit, and pectin turns cloudy and clumps up in alcohol. It’s the same reaction jelly makers use when they test juice for pectin by stirring a spoonful into rubbing alcohol.

Pack the Jar

Pack the grated quince into a clean half-gallon mason jar. A quart jar is too small for the fruit and the whole bottle of vodka. Add the sugar, rose petals, and cinnamon stick, if you’re using one.

Pour the whole bottle of vodka over the top, cap the jar, and give it a gentle shake. The fruit will float at first, and that’s fine.

Infuse for 2 to 3 Months

Set the jar on a pantry shelf or in a cabinet, at room temperature and out of direct sun. It doesn’t need the fridge, since the alcohol keeps it shelf stable.

Shake it gently every few days for the first couple of weeks, then leave it alone. It starts to taste like quince within a week or two, but the floral side takes longer to come through, so give it the full 2 to 3 months.

Strain and Sweeten

Pour the liqueur through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing gently on the fruit to get the last of it out. For a clear liqueur, strain it again through cheesecloth or a coffee filter, since grated fruit leaves fine sediment behind.

Taste it before you bottle it. If you’d like it sweeter, stir in a little more sugar until it dissolves.

Bottle the Liqueur

Use a funnel to fill clean glass bottles. Flip-top Grolsch bottles show off the color and make easy gifts.

Label each bottle with the date, and store them out of direct sunlight.

Quince Liqueur Cocktails

Quince liqueur works anywhere you’d use a fruit liqueur. One reader says it’s excellent with ginger beer, and that’s a good place to start.

It’s sweet and floral on its own, so something sour or bubbly balances it out. Here are a few easy ways to serve it.

• Quince and ginger beer: A shot of quince liqueur over ice, topped with ginger beer and a squeeze of lemon.
• Quince spritz: Quince liqueur topped with prosecco and a splash of soda water, with a lemon twist.
• Quince hot toddy: A shot of quince liqueur with a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon, topped with hot water.
• Quince sour: Quince liqueur and bourbon shaken with fresh lemon juice and ice, then strained into a chilled glass.

For more drink ideas, try the rhubarb cocktails or a glass of homemade elderflower cordial.

Storage and Shelf Life

Bottled quince liqueur keeps at room temperature, so there’s no need to refrigerate it. Store it in a cool, dark cabinet, and plan to use it within a year.

It won’t spoil after a year, but the floral notes fade and the pink color dulls over time. If you’re making it for gifts, start a jar as soon as quinces come in, and it’ll be ready to strain around the holidays.

If the jar sits longer than 3 months before you strain it, that’s fine too. Even a forgotten jar won’t spoil, since the alcohol keeps it safe. The flavor keeps changing, so taste it and strain it when you like it.

Quince Liqueur FAQs

Readers ask about peeling the quince, how long it keeps, and leaving the fruit in longer, so those are here, along with a couple of others.

More Quince Recipes

A few more ways to use a bag of quinces.

50+ Quince Recipes (How to Cook Quince)

Quince Paste (Spanish Membrillo, Portuguese Marmelada, Italian Cotognata)

Poached Quince

4.53 from 57 votes

Servings: 24 servings, makes about 3 cups

Quince Liqueur

By Ashley Adamant

Quince liqueur steeps grated raw quince, sugar, and rose petals in vodka for 2 to 3 months, with no cooking. It comes out pale pink and floral, for sipping, gifting, and fall cocktails.

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Infusion Time: 60 days d

Total: 60 days d 30 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Quart Mason Jar
• Small Funnel
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Grolsch Bottles
• Box Grater

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 large ripe quince, skin on, see notes
• ▢ 1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar, start with less; you can add more after straining
• ▢ 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh unsprayed rose petals, or dried, see notes
• ▢ 1 whole cinnamon stick, optional
• ▢ 750 ml vodka, or other neutral spirit, 80 proof or higher

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Wash the quince and wipe off the soft fuzz on the outside with a dry cloth. Don't peel; the skin contributes color and flavor.
• Cut around the apple-like core of each quince and discard. Grate the remaining flesh and skin on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor with the grating attachment. Work quickly; the flesh browns within minutes.
• Pack the grated quince into a clean half-gallon jar. Add the sugar, rose petals, and cinnamon stick, if using.
• Pour the vodka over the top, cap the jar, and shake gently to mix. The fruit will float at first.
• Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 2 to 3 months. Shake gently every few days for the first couple of weeks, then leave undisturbed.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing gently on the solids to extract every drop of liqueur. For a clearer finish, run a second pass through cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
• Taste, and add more sugar if you’d like a sweeter finish (it dissolves easily into the room-temperature liqueur with a few minutes of stirring).
• Bottle in clean glass bottles. Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and use within 1 year.

Notes

Yield: Two large quinces give about 2 to 3 cups of grated fruit. With the sugar and a 750 ml bottle of vodka, it all fits in a half-gallon jar, and the batch makes about 3 cups of liqueur after straining. A quart jar is too small.

Peeling: Don’t peel the quince. Rub off the soft fuzz and grate it skin and all. The skin holds a lot of the color and flavor, and grating breaks it down so you won’t notice it.

Sugar: 1/2 cup makes a drier liqueur that’s good with ginger beer, and 1 cup makes a sweeter one. Taste after straining and stir in more if you like.

Rose petals: Use unsprayed petals. In place of fresh, use 2 tablespoons of dried edible rose petals. Pink or red petals give the most color.

Raw quince only: Don’t cook the quince. Cooking pulls pectin out of the fruit, and pectin turns cloudy and clumps up in alcohol.

Other spirits: Brandy or gin can replace the vodka in the same amount. Brandy makes a darker, richer liqueur, and gin goes well with tonic.

Leftover fruit: The strained quince is still sweet and fragrant. Use it in cakes, cookies, or ganache, or freeze it until you’re ready to bake.

Storage: The liqueur is shelf stable at room temperature and doesn’t need the fridge. Keep it out of direct sunlight so the color doesn’t fade, and use it within a year, before the floral notes fade. A jar left longer than 3 months before straining won’t spoil, so taste it and strain it when you like it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1fl oz, Calories: 89kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 0.002g, Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 0.4mg, Potassium: 1mg, Fiber: 0.02g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 0.1IU, Vitamin C: 0.002mg, Calcium: 0.5mg, Iron: 0.01mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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