Damson gin

[upandaway]

Anyone got a good recipe please for damson gin that will be ready to polish off at Christmas this year?

I make sloe gin and used the same recipe for blackberry with great success, feel sure it would work for most fruit.

To each pint of gin use 8oz fruit and 2oz sugar.

You need to prick the damsons with a fork or something so the juice will bleed out.

Place in a large wide-mouthed glass or plastic container and seal. Shake a bit the first day or two to dissolve sugar. Leave in a cool dark place for 3 months then strain and bottle.

Fantastic anorak ! Thank you.

Any more wonderful recipes like that?

Blackberry Whisky is fab too:

Ingredients: For each bottle of whisky

2kg / 4lbs blackberries
225g / 8oz sugar (or less according to taste)
1 bottle whisky

Place the fruit, sugar and whisky in a large screw top or kilner style jar. Shake every few days until the sugar has dissolved.

Place in a dark cupboards for three months, turning slowly to mix once every two weeks or so.

Strain and bottle. The whisky will have turned a deep, dark purple. It can be drunk straight away, but the flavour will continue to improve for up to 2 years

The stuff I made last year is gawjuss !!!

Do you think I could use vodka instead of whiskey Yeahinaminute?

Good God - Yeah - use anything - I have a glut of Poteen at the mo and I'm thinking of doing some Sloe and blackberry Poteen - I'll let you know how it turns out !! hic !!

are you going to tell us how to make the poteen then YIAM?

Ah now that's a closely guarded family secret distilled in the mountains by goblins and leprechauns !!!

AM doing my sloe gin this weekend - but will definitely give the blackberry whisky a shot!

A little tip to make things more potent - freeze the damsons or sloes before you use them (then defrost, prick and carry on as normal)- it raises the sugar content and makes the gin or whatever much more interesting!!!

I feel a bit of alcholic "fruiting" coming on this weekend !!

I did that with the sloes last year and you're right it does make for an " interesting" drink !!

Ish n't that shuch - hic -a lov..er..ly - hic - idea ...hic

where did you get your sloes? sometimes make damson gin but haven't seen any in shops. love to have it for christmas.

a lovely old man who lives not too far from us provided a bucket of sloes - I think he knows I have a little penchant for home-brewed beverages!

damn! wish i had a nice old man

I get my sloes from local hedgerows. I am often seen toting bags full of tupperware containers at this time of year.

Pricking the sloes is so slow and messy. I have found that whizzing them in a blender is much quicker and cuts them up a bit releasing the juice very effectively. Then wash the processer in cold water because hot sets the glutinous sloe juice like rock.

Took DD and and the mutts for a lovely walk at the weekend and came back with enough blackberries for 4 bottles of blackberry poteen - That'll go nuclear I reckon !! hic

Blackberry wine is lovely too.

cheers for that Coolmama Have a pile of sloes in the freezer (am waiting for payday to buy the booze) and wasnt sure if freezing the sloes would do any harm.

It is lovely - but you have to do all the yeast palaver don't you ?

It only takes a few minutes to prepare all the ingredients and get the mixture fermenting away in a bucket. The yeast is easy to use. I love it, it's great fun especially when the time comes to rack the wine and have a tasting session.

I have MIL for xmas so am planning to drink heavily - this will help mightily toward saving my sanity!

Thanks for the recipes.
Oh am so looking forward to busy weekend making this booze.
Just love the fact on xmas night you can pull it out of the cupboard to the delighted oohs and aaahs of family members then within 10 mins great Aunt Nellie is sloshed and asleep under the table!!

What glass containers do you use? I used to use a large plastic sweety jar with a flat lid but you cant get them nowadays.