OK Muddlers, just think – a few minutes effort now will produce your own bespoke fruit liqueurs in time for drinking or gifting over the festive period.
It’s the season for hedgerow fruits, and their richness lends themselves to delicious dark fruity spirits that can be sipped or introduced to cocktails and punches.
We are sharing our favourite method for making liqueurs, and some handy advice about getting the right balance of fruit, alcohol and sugar.
Muddled Method
(We are basing this on using 500g or 1lb of washed fruit)
If the fruit is a berry such as sloe, plum or damson, prick the fruit all over and place in a large screw-top or clip-top jar, or alternatively split between 2 x 70cl screw-top bottles. Remove the stones from fruits such as damsons, cherries and plums if you intend to use them afterwards - plus they will need chopping you are using the bottle technique.
(TIP: you can freeze sloe berries so the skins burst naturally)
Soft fruits like raspberries can be used with no preparation other than a good wash.
Top with 1 litre of your desired spirit – here’s some basic guidance for good pairings:
Gin – sloes, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries
Vodka – elderberries, cranberries, raspberries, damsons, peaches
Brandy – plums, damsons, cherries
Whisky – blackberries
Rum - elderberries
Clearly some of these might have to be *foraged* from the supermarket, but do check the hedges for hidden treasure.
Screw the lid tight and store for 1 month, shaking once a day to release the fruit flavours. Leave it somewhere you won’t forget about it, as this is a crucial part of the process.
Strain after 1 month (squeeze all that liquid out!) and return to the jars or bottles. Add 300g – about 10oz – of fine sugar to the liquid, shake to dissolve and leave to mature for 2-3 months.
*NOTE* the amount of sugar can be adjusted to reflect the sharpness of the fruit used – raspberries and peaches will need far less than say sloes or elderberries. Sugar can be added at the tasting stage, but reversing sweetness (adding more alcohol) is a bit more difficult without losing the rich fruit flavour.
Taste, strain and bottle, you can do the final strain through a jelly bag or even a coffee filter if you want crystal-clear liquid.
At this point you can adjust the sweetness and source some fancy bottles for gifting, if you can bear to part with it. Pair with some of our beautiful vintage liqueur glasses for a perfect present.
Muddled’s personal tip for the discarded boozy fruit – it makes a seriously fabulous addition to a fruit cake recipe, so make sure you stone them well before starting out.
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