Homemade Crème de Menthe

'Tis the season for peppermints, candy canes, and -- sorry, kiddos -- crème de menthe. This sweet peppermint liqueur is easy to make at home and it makes a great, inexpensive gift for friends during the holidays!

Our version of crème de menthe is more golden then the stuff you usually see on the shelves because we used all natural, unrefined cane sugar. We liked the idea of going all natural, with the cane sugar's trace minerals and impurities, but you could just as easily use white granulated sugar for a lighter colored liqueur.

This is truly such an easy recipe. Only four ingredients, and, well, if you can boil water, you can make this recipe. We've already sampled this several times in hot chocolate (yum!), and we've got some holiday cocktails up our sleeves as well. Stay tuned.

Homemade Crème de Menthe
adapted from Boulder Locavore

• 4 cups water

• 4 cups sugar

• 1 cup 190 proof grain alcohol (such as Everclear)

• 2 tbs pure peppermint extract

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, and heat until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
2. Once cool, add the alcohol and peppermint extract. Makes 5-6 cups.