Spiced sloe gin

Now the autumnal fruits are well on their way it’s time to start thinking of some Christmas brews that take a while to develop. While the Hawthorn tree is producing some nice berries for jams etc. see http://www.theoutdoorlab.com/2010/09/hawthorn-jelly-and-apple-mustard-glazed.html


Its bushy spiky cousin the blackthorn is producing the sloes. This is just a traditional sloe gin with a spicy twist. First prick the sloes all over with a sharp fork or needle and place in a large sealable jar. Pour in the sugar and spices and gin. Seal the jar and shake well. Store in a dark place and shake once a week for 2-3 months. When it’s ready strain the sloes and store the sloe gin in a sterilised bottle.

Ingredients: sloes, bottle of gin, sugar to taste (100-200g see below), crushed cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a pinch of nutmeg. Leave for 2-3 months. Enjoy.
450g/1lb sloes 
100- 200g/8oz caster sugar depending on how sweet you want it
1 litre/1¾ pint gin

Blackberry brandy

This one has been waiting for at least 12 weeks to sample and makes a great festive or winter drink. You can add whole gloves if you want but basically the recipe is very easy to make just consisting of blackberries (500g), brandy (one litre) and sugar (200g). Mash up the blackberries and add to the brandy and sugar, seal the mixture in a screw-top jar and then allow to infuse for at least 8-12 weeks. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved and shake the jar every week. After storing in a cool dark place for a couple of months the mixture needs to be strained before serving.

Beech leaf liqueur

I have been doing this liqueur for quite a few years now and it's probably my favourite wild flavoured drink. This is quite easy to make and involves steeping beech leaves in gin for a number of weeks. This old recipe is thought to originate from south-west England (recipe by Richard Mabey). It will be ready to drink when the liquid becomes a light green colour. Definitely worth a try if you like liqueurs, serve chilled from iced glasses. It kind of has a flavour that reminds me of freshly mowed lawns.

Recipe:

A bottle of gin steeped in beech leaves for 3 weeks
100- 200 g white sugar (depending on how sweet you like it) dissolved in 250 ml of water per pint of gin
100 ml of brandy.

Use young and fresh beech leaves that are stripped from their twigs. Half fill a large container with these leaves and then pour over the gin. Seal and leave for three weeks before straining the liquid off. Dissolve the sugar with the water and add the brandy. Add this to the beech leaf gin and bottle, this should produce almost 2 bottles of beech leaf liqueur.