| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Treacodactyl |
Fruit LiqueursOur latest article should be very useful at this time of year and having been forced into trying some of the recipes (it's a hard life) I can say they are well worth making. Raspberry vodka is great and I'm trying a jar each of some damson gin and vodka. So for some easy recipes look here: http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Processing_Food/Fruit_Liqueurs/ |
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| 2steps |
just saw that on the home page. bookmarked to look at properly later 
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| cab |
A word to the wise. Combining hop juice and fruit liqueurs on a Friday night can lead to a confusing, and somewhat lethargic Saturday morning. | ||||||
| Treacodactyl |
I must say making a nice long Pimms and lemonade and floating a little raspberry liqueur on top is rather splendid.
I assume the beer was separate though. 
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| cab |
I assume so. Can't quite say with any certainty any more. |
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
we've blackberry vodka steeping as well as our 1st try at sloe gin. I made one last year which had cranberries, orange zest and cinnamon in it. The recipe is here - http://www.learningindustries.com/nrk/recipes/index.asp?rid=238 it says to mature for a month in the original recipe and I think it needs on balance slightly longer and some maturing time as well. It was a bit harsh to begin with. | ||||||
| judith |
That reminds me, I must strain my blackberry whisky. It has been steeping for about a month now.
Does it improve with keeping, or is it best to drink it quickly? |
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| Becki |
We have Sloe Gin, and Strawberry Vodka, Blackberry Vodka and Rhubarb Vodka on the go at the moment. I must say the Sloe Gin is my favourite. It's nearly gone and need to make some more! 
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| N.V.M. |
good stuff. we've managed to master the peach bellini and they are great on a sunny day while lounging on the deck. | ||||||
| Blue Peter |
A couple of questions I had from the article: "pack the leaves into a jar" are we talking really trying to get as many leaves in as possible? or just putting them in until they reach the top applying very little pressure? or... roughly what month are we talking here? May? Finally, have you tried anything with lavender? I like the herb and wonder if a liqueur would be nice, Peter. |
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| dougal |
Thank you cab.
I'm not keen on Whisky. But I seem to have inherited a few litres. So, I've had a jar of your Blackberry Whisky steeping for almost a week and sneaked a first taste tonight - purely for sugar addition assessment you understand. But its rather wonderful, already. |
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| cab |
It's a bit special, isn't it? Careful leaving it around at parties, it has a tendency to evaporate. |
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| cab |
Oops. I missed this. Sorry. Pack the leaves in loosely; don't cram them in tightly, but press them down very, very lightly. And as for the month, there's a lot of regional variation I'm afraid. It depends on when beech gets its leaves. Pick them when they're still soft and droopy, before they go harder. Some time April or May ish normally. Lavender... No, I haven't. But I can't see a good reason why not. Use a nice clean tasting spirit, a Polish spirit or a reasonably decent vodka. Err on the cautious side with the herb. |
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| dougal |
Had a bit of a sort around on Sunday.
Decanted some ancient sloe gin and put the sloes to work on some (Waitrose  ) cider. Slider for Christmas?
Finally decanted the Blackberry whisky. Thank you Cab, thank you! 
I'm planning to coat the sozzled fruit with chocolate... The Damson gin (after about 14 months maceration) has a beautiful colour (and a pleasant, if pruney flavour), and the fruit is pretty good on its own. Decanted the Raspberry vodka. The raspberries have lost ALL their colour to the spirit. This one has a heck of a lot of zing from the berries, but its fairly harsh. Cab's article recommended 6 months. Does it need to be left longer on the fruit? Or given some sugar and left quietly in a bottle for a bit longer? I was wondering about putting the now white sozzled rasps through the juicer... |
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| Blue Peter |
This reminds me of a question my other half asked in one of her Eddie Grundy moments:
are there any restrictions in selling fruit in alcohol? The alcohol would be bought and any duty paid (perhaps not in this country). If you decided to sell such an item, would HM Revenue and Customs take a keen interest? Peter. |
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| nettie |
I'd like to know the answer to that one too. Would you need a license to sell fruit liqueurs, say at farmer's markets?
I've got wild plum gin, sloe gin, and blackberry and vanilla vodka on the go. And I froze my rhubarb juice earlier in the year to keep for bellinis - yum!! |
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| Treacodactyl |
Yep, my raspberries came out almost white, a little surprising. I added just a little sugar to my raspberry vodka and the result was drinkable right away.  The baclcurrat leaf may take much longer though...
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| whitelegg1 |
baclcurrat !!!
That must be some serios s**t!!!
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| cab |
Yup, it'll be ready by then if not before.
Good, innit? Can I reccomend, if you have some fruit left, that you make blackberry whisky ice cream? Serve a scoop of it with another scoop of home made vanilla ice cream, and you have one of the best and most seriously adult frozen desserts you'll ever encounter.
A bit of sugar will make it really nice rather quickly, and you may find that without something to sweeten it it'll never be to your tastes. How about trying some of the raspberries with some of the blackberries in a clafoutis? |
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| efiona |
after i drain off the liqueur can i freeze the fruit to use over christmas? i have cherry brandy and blackberry whiskey ready to decant and i'd like to use the fruit (about 3kg of cherries, 1.5 of blackberries) for christmassy desserts... | ||||||
| cab |
Leave a wee bit of booze in the bottom of the jar and stopper it tightly, then the fruit will keep fine without freezing. Otherwise, by all means freeze it, but it'll go rather soft. |
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| efiona |
thank you, cab
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| mochyn |
We frooze the blackberries from our first blackberry vodka, many years ago. Went to use them some months later and they were still really soft! tasted wonderful with icecream in a meringue nest though...
I made Christmas Pudding icecream last winter with a liqueur called Black Mountain in it: wonderful, and I think I might try a mincemeat icecream with something similar this year. |
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| Mary-Jane |
Has anyone tried making Quince Gin? I tried it for the first time last year when I realised that the 'decorative shrubs' planted along the entrance to our local supermarket were covered in small quinces...and no-one had seemed to notice! The kids and I clambered into the beds and stripped the bushes of their fruits (I'm sure everyone thought we were quite mad) and I made two vats of quince gin.
I tried two different methods - one with chopping the quinces to steep in the gin and one with grating the quinces. I have to say we pretty much agreed that the grated version had the edge on the chopped version. I found the recipes on the internet and they've been very successful. So cheers to who ever thought that 'those shrubs would look nice' in the supermarket decorative beds. Free quinces to all who notice! |
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| cab |
I'm making spiced quince brandy at the moment. |
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| Mary-Jane |
Gosh, that sounds good. I prefer brandy to gin anyday. Got a recipe you'd care to share?
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| cab |
Fill a jar with quinces, stick in a clove or two, star anise, a cinnamon stick, a blade of mace and some allspice berries, toss in some sugar, and fill the jar up with brandy. Seal it, shake it up and taste it once in a while, and sweeten more if need be. It's done when it's good and nice 
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| mark |
have just strained off and filtered a big jar of blackberries plums, damsons and cherries soaking in vodka and sugar.
Lovely result! The fruit remaining is lovely with a mild not astringent flavour and has gone into the freezer in 3 bags will be used in ice cream and in puddings. At least on batch wil have to become a very alcoholic trifle!!! mark |
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| dougal |
:blob5:
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| Bugs |
Do I take it this was a successful experiment Dougal? 
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