Sozzled Sunday Project

I mentioned yesterday that I was planning ahead and starting to make Christmas gifts now, and some people this year will be receiving homemade blackberry vodka or homemade sloe gin. The reason I start now is that the bottles need to be kept in a cool, dark place for 8-10 weeks in order to infuse properly. By starting now, they'll also get a few weeks longer to make sure it absolutely works!
The process is very easy!

You will need:

• Big bottles of vodka and/or gin (it has to be said, it makes a HUGE difference buying the branded, quality stuff, so in this case I used Smirmoff and Gordon's. An expense, but if you look around you will get them for about £13 for a large bottle.) You may not need to use up all the spirits, but if you can absolutely bear it, keep it! Because once you strain the infusions, you'll need to top up the bottles with some.
• Clean, glass bottles with secure tops. I used two smaller ones for the vodka and an empty wine bottle for the gin.
• Enough sloe/blackberries to fill 1/3 of your bottles. My berries were free as I picked them from the bushes around our house fresh!
• Caster sugar
• A skew, to 'prick' your sloeberries
• Milton sterilising tablets (1 per 5 litres of cold water, but I used three to sterilise all three of my bottles in my clean kitchen sink, just to be sure!)
• Decorative labels or ribbons for when the time comes to give your gifts away!

For the Sloe Gin...

Firstly sterilise your bottle and allow to air dry fully. Next, wash your sloe berries under cold water thoroughly and then transfer to a tuppawear box. Prick each of your berries several times using the skew so that the gin and berries infuse together. Pop enough berries into the wine bottle so that it is 1/3 full.

Next, add sugar. I admit... I guessed this part. I put in about 3-4 heaped teaspoons. Then open your gin!! Using a measuring jug, carefully fill your bottle with gin until it's full to the start of the bottle neck. Secure with the lid.

Then here's the fun part... SHAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shake it until the sugar is no longer visible. Set to one side.

For the Blackberry Vodka...

Much the same as before... Thoroughly wash and drain your blackberries and then add them so they fill your bottle 1/3 full. Then add caster sugar; as these were smaller bottles I used only 2-3 heaped teaspoons.

I then closed the top and shook the berries around on their own in the bottle to burst them and release their wonderful purple colour. 

Next add the vodka carefully with a measuring jug, and shake once more to get everything mixing together.

Et voila!

Now it's a waiting game - you need to leave your concoctions in a dark, cool place for 8-10 weeks. Do not be tempted to open them! You can occasionally shake them or turn them, but don't open them... or the magic will be ruined!!

After it's had time to brew, you can either leave the fruit in the bottle as it is, or empty and strain the infused alcohol and put into other bottles or the same bottles. Just make sure you clean and sterilise them again first.

Use manilla labels, ribbons, string or stick a label to the bottle telling your gift recipient what it is ready for Christmas day. If you can, have a SMALL tipple before you give them away... just to check!!

BB xxxx