Damson Gin
165kcal
Ingredients
- 500 g damsons about 1 lb 2 oz, ripe and unblemished
- 250 g granulated sugar about 1 1/4 cups; use 150 g for a drier gin
- 700 ml gin one standard 70 cl bottle; a decent supermarket London dry is ideal
Method
- Rinse the damsons, pull off any stalks and throw out any that are split, bruised or mouldy. Dry them well.
- Freeze the damsons overnight in a bag. Freezing splits the skins so the juice can escape, which saves you pricking every one. If you prefer, prick each damson a few times with a clean needle or fork instead.
- Tip the damsons (still frozen is fine) into a clean 1.5 litre jar or two smaller jars. Add the sugar, then pour in the gin.
- Seal tightly and shake well. Keep the jar somewhere cool and dark.
- Shake the jar every day for the first week until the sugar has fully dissolved, then about once a week.
- Leave to steep for at least 8 weeks, and up to 3 months for a deeper flavour.
- Strain through a sieve lined with muslin or a coffee filter into a jug. Taste, and stir in a little more sugar if you want it sweeter.
- Bottle in clean, sterilised bottles and label with the date. Drink within a year or two; it softens and improves with age.
Notes
Keep the gin-soaked damsons. Stone them and stir into a crumble, spoon over ice cream, or dip in dark chocolate. They are alcoholic, so they are for adults only.