Help needed to finesse a citrus liqueur

[esxman]

Hi guys , I live in Greece where they all make their own Raki , its virtually the bland spirit distilled from the grape leftovers . Its ok but I love something with a nose to it .
I took a couple of litres of my bland spirit into the pot still , together with some water to be safe,and half way up the still is a perforated disc some 4-5 inches across , and that's where you can put your herbs and spices , rather like a botanic basket .Anyway on this shelf I put the peel(finely shredded) of an orange,grapefruit,lemon,lime . I had previously macerated for two days a combo of peppermint and spearmint in 80% abv neutral . I got a beautiful green highly aromatic stock , and used this to flavour and tint the orange spirit . I tried to get it down to 45% with spring water but it louched , and I followed the idea of adding 45% neutral until the cloud cleared , which it did . I tried it on the Mrs , she said the aroma and the taste were fine , but it was "thin" , the taste didn't stay in the mouth at all .I read too glycerine or sugar syrup can make the drink hang on . I know I am on Emax with the aromatic oils , I think that adding the bland spirit is magic , the cloudiness disappears as you add the neutral drop by drop .So gents if anyone has a tip for me to try on this lack of body , I would be very grateful esxman Phil

[LWTCS]

You can also take your citrus zest and boil it with some sugar and a measure of water.
The citrus will marry with your reduction and make a nice citrus (orange syrup) with which to back sweeten.
Do not stir.
You'll need to figure out how much zest is best. Save the zest for a garnish.

Also you can use alcohol on the boil and as it evaporates the liquid sugar will begin to crystalize. Give a light stir and crystallization will speed up. This process will infuse the orange goodness into the sugar crystals and make for a nice garnish if your into cocktail drama.

[esxman]

Thanks LWTCS , I have a bottle of Cointreau , the orange liqueur , it is absolutely loaded up with sugar ,good for crepes. Like a pastis or anisette so much sugar it crystallises round the neck of the bottle. I was looking for a quick fix to make my effort hold on in the mouth more than it does .The hooch is nice for sipping ,I didn't want to make it too sickly sweet ,just to stay on the palate longer than it does ......esxman

[esxman]

LWTCS , I will certainly try your idea for the citrus liqueur on my next run with the pot , thanks . I read on this forum that sugar and/or glycerine will give a more mouth feel to your product .
I only had to add 5 drops of glycerine in 1/3 litre (15 in a Litre) , to get the aftertaste to hang on , you dont need much glycerine at all .... sorted esxman

[LWTCS]

I've also had some pretty good luck charring and roasting zest. But only need to treat it like dropping a tea bag for just a minute for best results was my experience.
Good luck .