Blackberry Gin Time!

'Our House' Blackberry Gin

Unbelievable. I have searched high and low for my recipe and can’t find it anywhere.  It’s not that I have a particularly large or disorganised kitchen but I know that it was on a sheet of paper somewhere and it appears to have disappeared. Anyway, here it is – from memory. If I have left anything out then be sure to let me know.

Blackberry gin it is.

I was originally given this recipe form a neighbour and this time I have not fiddled with it. Given the number of ingredients there is not really that much to fiddle with. We don’t actually drink it as a liqueur (we have the sloe gin for that) but instead pour it over ice cream or drizzle it over other desserts. Always goes down well when we have people over to dinner.

One thing though, given that it is a bit of a messy business making it, make sure that you are well prepared. You will need a good picking of blackberries too as you will need a good quantity. We find most of ours in our local hedgerows when out for walks with the dog, so we never need to buy them. But if you don’t have time to make it in the next few weeks you can always freeze them fruit until you are ready.

The recipe can adapted to be alcohol free for substituting the gin with white wine vinegar. Personally, I can’t see the point. But that’s me.

Ingredients:

1kg fresh blackberries

1/2 kg golden caster sugar

400 mls Gin (preferably over 38 % abv) but don’t waste your best.

Method:

Place all the berries in a food processor and whizz to a pulp. Then press them all through a sieve into a heavy saucepan with the sugar. Don’t go to the bother of using a fine mesh strainer such as a chinois. It will just get clogged up. Besides, you want a consistency thicker that a coulis if you are to pour it over ice cream. It’s a sticky, messy business but what you should be left with in the sieve is a lot of pulp that you can discard for the birds.

Cook slowly until all the sugar had dissolved, but don’t allow to boil rapidly. Simmer very gently for half an hour.

Remove from the heat and stir in the gin. Strain once more into sterilized bottles and chill (the gin, not you). I keep mine in the fridge door.

I get my bottles from Lakeland – I am a big fan. Whats’ more, they go through the dishwasher. Friends tend to get a bottle for Christmas.  Better that chocolate, I would say.

Enjoy.