Elderberry gin.... and other fruity booze...

[chriscross1966]

I picked a pound of elderberries at the l;ottie last week... being an experimental kind of chap I've run it through my basic fruit booze recipe to see how it will turn out as a gin....

2 pint plastic milk bottle
1lb fruit
6oz sugar
top with booze

Shake every couple of days till sugar dissolves
Leave in garage till winter starts
Once the garage gets nice and cold alternate it once per day so that it spends 24 hours in the utility room (warm) and 24 in the garage (cold)
Bottle in time for christmas

I've got elderberry gin, blackberry gin, brandy and rum and I've got my eyes on a nice crop of bullaces near where I work.....

chrisc

[saddad]

When you strain out the berries they are great with ice cream... but they do tend to burn into it!! 

[1066]

Once the garage gets nice and cold alternate it once per day so that it spends 24 hours in the utility room (warm) and 24 in the garage (cold)
chrisc

Hi can I ask why the cold / warm treatment? When I make sloe gin I follow a similar recipe, but just leave the bottles in a cupboard and when I remember to I give them a shake. So wondering what affect the cold/warm treatment has
Thanks
1066

[saddad]

We don't warm/cold either... and the results are just fine... hic! 

[chriscross1966]

THe warm/cold treatment is used to accelerate aging.... it's ready to drink for Christmas rather than needing to wait a year..... It has a fancy french name cos they use it to quick age red wine over there (it also breaks down tannins into things you might want to drink quicker apparently.... Seems to work, usign tescos blue stripe value gin (and the same sloes) I came a narrow third out of fifteen in a taste off at work against stuff made from Bombay Blue and Gordons...

chrisc

[Duke Ellington]

How much does Tesco value gin cost ! I buy mine from Lidls for around £8

Duke

[Old bird]

Hi Chriscross

Be a bit wary of the milk bottles as they do let in air - I used them to store some elderflower wine and the bottles leak a bit - which in turn means that air can get in - although with spirits I suppose that doesn't hurt.  I would use something like cling film or a washer to completely seal the top!

O B

[1066]

thanks for the reply ChrisCross, I somehow don't think I'd be able to remember to do that cold / warm thing, and will just have to practice a bit of patience!

I love the sound of the drink-off ! I presume you didn't do much work after the sampling 

[chriscross1966]

Hi Chriscross

Be a bit wary of the milk bottles as they do let in air - I used them to store some elderflower wine and the bottles leak a bit - which in turn means that air can get in - although with spirits I suppose that doesn't hurt.  I would use something like cling film or a washer to completely seal the top!

O B

IOt's never really been a problem for me... they don't seem to leak when I shake them ..... I wouldn't want to store wine in them I guess but they seem fine as covered steeping buckets

Tesco value gin is something appalling like 6.50 a bottle.... BTW, Aldi's own brand is called "Oliver Cromwell".... wonder what the old roundhead would have thought of that ?
chrisc

[saddad]

As a Puritan I'm sure he would have disapproved... 

[gwynleg]

Now I was going to make pontac sauce (not tried it yet but it sounds good) with my elderberries, but elderberry gin (or vodka), hmmmm...
Have you had a little taste yet to see how its maturing Chrischross?

[chriscross1966]

Now I was going to make pontac sauce (not tried it yet but it sounds good) with my elderberries, but elderberry gin (or vodka), hmmmm...
Have you had a little taste yet to see how its maturing Chrischross?

It's only been in there a bit over a week.... it'll need at least another month before I even think about it.......

[chriscross1966]

Well... some tasting results... the elderberry gin is softening up nicely... it was a bit "woody" earlier but that's getting less marked... it's going to take a year or so I guess...

The bramble gin brandy and rum are all good but the eye-opener is blueberry bourbon... I'm no fan of either but occasional bottles of JD get given to me and I found some rather overripe very reduced blueberries at Tesco so thought I'd give it a go... and it's scrummy.... might well start growing blueberries just for that....

chrisc

[GlentoranMark]

I use to add a few chillies to a bottle of vodka, fairly gave it a good kick