Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: Heather_S on July 29, 2006, 20:56

Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: Heather_S on July 29, 2006, 20:56: I'm currently sipping my nearly 3 week old blackcurrant gin(with ice and soda water). It's surprisingly good and somehow the currants have taken away all the alcohol taste and replaced it with a faint taste of ribena :lol:
Just measured out 350ml of gin, poured it in a rinsed out empty vodka bottle (just to confuse me later on), dropped in enough blackcurrants to make the bottle nearly "full" of gin, funneled in 2 tablespoons of sugar and closed it up, labeled it and put it in a dark cupboard.
Wish I could find a good source of cheap but small amounts of small bottles so I could give some away for Christmas presents. :?

I'm very tempted to use some blackberries this year on alcoholic blackberry cordial which is apparently just blackberries, brandy and sugar syrup... wish I had known about fresh mint liqueurs two weeks ago when I cut back my whole spearmint plant :(
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: John on July 30, 2006, 09:21: We did blackcurrant brandy one year - that was fantastic . Left for a year then we drank the brandy and ate the blackcurrants with ice cream and got quite tipsy.
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: GrannieAnnie on July 31, 2006, 22:58: My old next door neighbour had a rumtopf. Always wanted one of those!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: John on July 31, 2006, 23:16: Quote from: "grannieannie"
My old next door neighbour had a rumtopf. Always wanted one of those!

Try Oxfam shops - I noticed one a few weeks ago when the mistress was looking at shoes next door.
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: GrannieAnnie on July 31, 2006, 23:36: Ooh, John, don't tempt me like that!!! I don't get to them very often, but we never get good things in our charity shop, but I'll have a look next time I'm in Boston!!!!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: John on July 31, 2006, 23:58: Val keeps on about going round the charity shops in Wilmslow (where the very rich Cheshire set live) because she reckons she can get the best pickings there.

We've got some plates that we got in the second hand shop that I saw on The Good Life (1976?) 30 years ain't bad!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: GrannieAnnie on August 01, 2006, 08:29: My friend used to go to Oxfam in Blackheath, as that was quite affluent in the 70's. She got some lovely clothes for 50p a time. You know hte sort of thing. Wear once then throw it away!!!!

I've nevre been that lucky. I still wear a jumper I bought 27 years ago!!!! Okay, its a bit threadbear now, but its stil lovely and warm when you are working in the garden!!!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: rugbymad40 on August 01, 2006, 11:35: I make Raspberry Gin together with Strawberry and Blackberry Vodka. I make it around about now and store it for just over a year - it comes out at Christmas at gatherings and is very popular.
Last year we moved house and discovered a bottle of Blackberry Vodka that must have been three or four years old. Sensational flavour! Did not taste very alcoholic, but after a couple of small measures your really noticed you were drinking it.
I guess what I am trying to say is make more than you think you will need and store it longer - you won't regret it because the older it gets the better the taste.
Chin Chin - Rugbymad40
Title: fruity gin
Post by: tublet on August 17, 2006, 21:38: hi ALL,
I discovered fruit gin at Easter while away camping with friends and family. Friends mum is an expert in the making of flavoured gins. She uses any soft fruit, plum is the flavour that we all tasted, she also does damson,peach etc. WOW really nice and I`m converted and will b making my own. Can`t wait to get a glut of fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: jgsmuzzy on August 18, 2006, 09:10: We do the same thing with Damsons. Nothing better than damson gin on a cold winters day.

Something I have found is that the supermarket own brand gin (about £7 a bottle) makes for a much better damson gin that the "premium" brands e.g. Gordons. We have about 20 borrles of the damson stuff in the shed.......could do some real damage with that!
Title: Damson Gin
Post by: Oliver on August 18, 2006, 09:16: Quote from: "jgsmuzzy"
We have about 20 borrles of the damson stuff in the shed.......could do some real damage with that!
Is that bottles or barrels? Seems to me you've been at the stuff already!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: jgsmuzzy on August 18, 2006, 11:49: I wish! I meant bottles, barrels would be nice, but I fear that even we could not drink all of it!
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: jacnal on June 27, 2007, 00:33: Quote from: "grannieannie"
My old next door neighbour had a rumtopf. Always wanted one of those!

Oooh, I just got one off ebay!!!

I do go through periods of ebay shopping sprees :oops:

Can't wait to get some alcoholic fruit going now...........
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: GrannieAnnie on June 27, 2007, 15:22: Oooh, Jac, you lucky thing, you'll have to let us know how it works out!!! All that nice boozy fruit, with a little icecream!!!! yum yum
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: jackiestagg on July 01, 2007, 21:17: I make blackcurrant vodka every year. When I offer it to people they seem to think because it is home made it won't be very strong, and I think they think I just call it 'vodka'. (Like elderflower 'champagne'). If it wasn't for the spillage I would find their reactions very funny when they take a huge swig... :D
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: David. on July 05, 2007, 20:14: I've made blackcurrant gin (so deceptive in strength!) and redcurrant gin.

Now I've been offered some white currants.

What are these like for liquers and is the flavour sufficiently strong to use with gin, or would vodka be better?
Title: Blackcurrant gin and other liqueurs
Post by: yummy on August 13, 2007, 11:19: I don't drink but I'm quite interested in making some of these for presents. We had a party on Saturday and I made some limoncello which was very popular so I would like to try making some others now.