Cherry Vodka

This one comes from my Mum…

Last year Giles made some blackberry vodka – it is yummy. It set me thinking about what other fruit could be used. I had a lot of cherries given me and although I love them I could only eat so many! I made a cherry pie and then thought about steeping some in vodka. I made it the same way that Giles did his blackberry one, and will let you all know the result in about three to four months time.

I will try it with other summer fruits when they are ripe and report on that too!

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1lb/450g of Cherries, chopped
½lb/225g Unrefined Sugar
Vodka

1 Chop the cherries into smallish pieces and place them in a large jar.

2 Add the sugar.

3 Pour over the vodka until just covering the chopped cherries.

4 Seal and then shake the jar every day until the sugar is dissolved.

5 Place in a dark cupboard for three to four months, strain and serve.

6 Serve on its own or topped up with a sparkling wine.

Enjoy!

“Sloe Sparkles”

A fun Christmas or New Year party drink, for breaking the ice, or serving as a pre-dinner aperitif is this delicious recipe using homemade Sloe Vodka.

Pour a measure of Sloe Vodka into a champagne flute and add a squeeze of lemon. Top up with either champagne, prosecco or any sparkling white wine, chilled.

Enjoy!

“Blackberry Bubbles”

“Blackberry Bubbles” is a festive drink for this winter season, that I created using our homemade Blackberry Vodka or Blackberry Brandy.

Pour a measure of either the vodka or brandy into a champagne flute. Top up with either champagne, prosecco or any sparkling white wine, chilled.

Enjoy!

Blackberry Vodka Update

My next drink to sieve and bottle, after the Sloe Vodka, was my Blackberry Vodka. This was completely different to the first drink, as it was much darker and richer looking and when I opened the bottle for the first time, it had a stronger sweeter smell too.

After sieving the more syrupy liquid through my cheese cloth, I noticed that the blackberries left behind had turned a rich raspberry red colour. I then poured myself a small measure and was very happy with the results! Having a sweet tooth, this drink was really sweet and delicious and had a nice kick to it as well. I was really pleased at this point, as both drinks had been a success. It’s a shame I promised to give most of it away for xmas!!

I really recommend anyone wanting to try making their first homemade alcoholic drink, to give this easy recipe a go. The results are worth it!

Now, I wonder if there is anything I can make with the leftover vodka infused blackberries?

Sloe Vodka Update

Three months after creating and bottling up my Sloe Vodka, it was time to finally sieve the alcohol and fruit, then bottle (and taste) the final product.

The sloes that came out of the storage bottle were a gorgeous rich red colour which in turn made the vodka an amazing translucent red colour.

Having never made or tasted Sloe Vodka before, I poured myself a small measure and was pleasantly suprised at how clean, crisp and full of flavour it was. It was sweeter than I thought it would be as well! I had to stop the tasting process so that there would be some left to give away as xmas presents.

I also have some other ideas planned on how to use some of the vodka in a post to come, so watch this space!

Also read Sloe Vodka Watch – Day #3.

Blackberry Vodka

With over 2 pounds of blackberries still in my fridge and freezer from my foraging trips and from my mum’s garden, I didnt want them to go to waste – so with my last bottle of vodka free after making my Sloe Vodka, I decided to make Blackberry Vodka, as I thought it would appeal more to my sweet tooth! A quick look online and the recipes were identical to the recipes I had already blogged about for the Sloe Vodka and Blackberry Brandy. This was perfect, as I had a spare large plastic container and some caster sugar in the cupboard. Once mixed, it joined my other bottles fermenting in my dark cupboard, waiting for xmas to come out and be tasted… well drunk and enjoyed with friends and family!

12ozs Blackberries
6ozs Caster sugar
75cl Vodka

1 Mix the blackberries with the sugar and then add them to a large storage bottle or container with the vodka.

3 Store the bottle in a cool dark cupboard and shake it every other day for a week. Then shake it once a week for two months.

4 The blackberry vodka will take on a beautiful dark red colour and will be ready to drink.

5 After two to three months, pour the mixture into bottles through a funnel lined with fine mesh or cheesecloth and store in a cool place again.

Enjoy!

If you make this recipe, please come back and let me know!

Sloe Vodka Watch – Day #3

First read… Sloe Vodka

I was suprised to see how red the Sloe Vodka had gone after being in the cupboard for 2 days. Cant wait till xmas to try it out. Hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Sloe Vodka

Having foraged what seems like half a truck load of sloes, I decided that I personally would prefer to make Sloe Vodka rather than the common format Gin!

Having seen it for sale at country game fairs I thought I would try it out, simply replacing vodka for the gin. So my mum gave me her Sloe Gin recipe and off I went!

1lb Sloes
8ozs Caster sugar
75cl Vodka

1 Prick the sloes all over with a cocktail stick or needle. If you wait for the first frost of the year, the sloes may already be cracked open.

2 Mix the sloes with the sugar and then add them to a large storage bottle or container with the vodka.

3 Store the bottle in a cool dark cupboard and shake it every other day for a week. Then shake it once a week for two months.

4 The sloe vodka will take on a beautiful dark red colour and be ready to drink.

5 After two to three months, pour the mixture into bottles through a funnel lined with fine mesh or cheesecloth and store in a cool place again.

Might have to make a lot more of this stuff for xmas presents looking at the amount of sloes I have left. My only problem is that I wish I had someone to prick all the sloes for me!!

Now read… Sloe Vodka Watch – Day #3

If you make this recipe, please come back and let me know!