Homemade Gin

It needs no introduction!

You'll need to think way ahead of the season for fruits that you wish to infuse into your gin.

Sloe, Damson and Blackberry are always popular favourites, so you'll need to ensure you know where you can scrump from and what time the fruit will be ready. We are lucky to have our local lanes all filled with blackberries, so scrump, pick and freeze it as soon as you can.

If you are freezing sloes or damsons, then either squash or prick the fruit, to allow the fruit to infuse the gin.

STEP ONE:

Thaw your fruit, if frozen or if you are using fresh fruit, then wash it thoroughly.

Sometimes I will make a "hedgerow" style gin, with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries or any soft fruit that needs using up

STEP TWO:

Some recipes state equal measures of gin:fruit:sugar

I find this is far too much sugar. So I usually put a litre of gin, with a kilo of fruit and start with 3-400g sugar. This will take at least 3 months, then you can add sugar to taste.

Keep airtight jars in a dark cupboard and shake / turn every so often to ensure the sugar dissolves through.

STEP THREE:

Once the gin is done, it will be a lovely red/purple colour

You can strain the gin using muslin cheese cloth, which I have found is the best way to filter. I usually run the gin through 2 to 3 times, to get rid off all the fruit particles from the gin.

Bottle and enjoy!