Raspberry gin recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Liqueurs | 246 comments
Autumn raspberries are a late fruiting variety with great flavour
This recipe can also be used for blackberry gin and vodka
Our autumn fruiting raspberries are late, but they’re finally here. Just a few of them. Succulent and tempting and the promise of more to follow. If you grow autumn fruiting raspberries you might like to have a go at making this delicious raspberry gin. The liqueur is delicate yet has a fresh raspberry bite that makes a change from the raunchiness of sloe gin. (This is a fresh review. I nipped out to the barn this evening to try some of our July 2006 vintage and it was superb. Fragrant and tasty). At it’s best, raspberry gin totally overshadows sloe gin. We had a tasting of a wide selection of our fruit gin at a dinner party, a few months ago. The clear winner was the raspberry gin.
You can make raspberry vodka using the same method detailed below for gin with similar ingredients, just a little more sugar. We’ve tried both and think that the gin wins hands down. Both are quite drinkable in three months so would be ready for Christmas. I love a dash of this in a fresh fruit salad.We had to buy the raspberries for our gin this summer but the end result will be well worth the outlay. In July we feasted off our early raspberries. We guzzled large bowls of them, sprinkled with castor sugar and had heated discussions as to how to use the rest of the fruit. Unfortunately, I had not secured the netting tightly enough and when I went out with my trug a couple of days later the canes were bare. Raspberries are my favourite fruit and raspberry gin is the biz. It always puts people in the best of moods. People have said the most complimentary things about us after a glass or three of our raspberry gin.
Tips and tricks for making fruit infused gin/vodka:
- If you are using the original gin bottles and you find that you don’t have quite enough gin to fill each one to the neck, don’t worry. We often do the final fill up the next day when we have got more gin.
- Make notes on a label of your fruit/gin/sugar ratio and stick it onto the bottle(s) so that you have a record, if you make a particularly good batch. The best labels are made from decorator’s masking tape as these can be peeled off and passed from bottle to bottle. We also note our responses at the grog matures. Yucky after sixth months can be to die for in a year (you will probably not remember without notes). Notes seem boring when you are making the grog. But they are so worthwhile when you start again the next year. It won’t be long before you will get a feel of what works well for your taste (and the notes will come into their own).
- Make more than you need the first year. So you can compare different vintages. This liqueur does improve over time.
- Some people drain the grog through muslin after a couple of months, to clarify the liqueur and bottle. We don’t bother as one old soak tipped that, once the gin is drunk, you can pour medium sherry on the fruit and start all over again! The latter is devilish and drinkable within three months.
- Keep your fruit gin away from the light as this will maintain the colour. Unless the bottle is dark green or brown. If you are stuck with clear bottles, wrap them in brown paper to keep out the light.
- Every couple of months take a tiny sip. At this time a add sugar if it tastes too sharp.
- If you want to make your own labels check out the post for 26 October 2006 to see how we make our labels.
| Raspberry gin recipe |
- Recipe for raspberry gin:
- 300g of raspberries
- 330g of white granulated sugar
- 1.5 litres (or more) of medium quality gin
- Steriiised 2 litre Le Parfait jar or 2 or 3 (70 cl) washed and sterilised gin bottles
- Wash raspberries and discard any bruised fruit. Place rasberries in either a large 2 litre Kilner/Le Parfait jar or divide the raspberries between 2 or 3 (70 cl) saved gin bottles.
- Using a funnel, add the sugar (divide the amounts if using several bottles) and top up with gin to the rim.
- Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months, we usually let it mature for a year).
- If you are making blackberry gin remove the fruit after 3 months (pour through muslin) to stop the woody taste developing and mature for at least a year.
Leave a reply
Hello K Jarrett
You can use whisky, gin or vodka. I personally prefer the latter but remove the blackberries after three months as they can impart a woody, nasty taste to the liquor after then.
Hi i have picked some fresh blackberys tonight and was wondering what to do with them i have rasberry vodca on the go,which spirit and what quantity should i use.
Hi Oli
Sorry I missed your comment.
I will ask Gilbert if he has a recipe. I’d imagine that the recipe would be similar to balckberry whisky with slightly less sugar.
Raspberry vinegar is easy. Fill a bottle half full of rsapberries and top up with white wine vinegar and a tsp of sugar. Leave for 3-6 months max, Strain through muslin and rebottle.
Hi fn
Thank you very much for the information I will use the Le Parfait/kilner jars as recommended.
Roll on 3 months!
Hi Tony
It’s best to fill a demi john to the lip at the top. Like wine, extra air gaps could ruin it. Why not use a big Le Parfait jar?
Found the recipe for raspberry gin,really fancy having a go at that(never made any before, so any comments welcome) can I use a demi john to make it in and if so do I have to fill it,(hic) or can I leave a gap at the top,ie halve full,
Thanks in adavnce
Hi Flynn,
I too would like to know how to do bramble brandy. We have last years sloe gin still and have just made some raspberry vodka using the recipes on these very pages…
By-the-by, does anyone have a good recipe for raspberry vinegar, the sort of stuff you got given when you had a sore throat?
Hi Carolyn
Strain it. Even now, the fruit will be affecting it badly. Give the grog a chance!
Hi Flynn
Vanilla essence – hopefully the pungent raspberries will cover that with their own aroma. I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Sloe gin can be a bit of a Dodo. But 3 month old sloe vodka has me turning cartwheels. Try it and hide all that you make.
Must try cranberry vodka. How do you make bramble whisky?
My sloe gin needs a revamp too. Poured in far too much almond oil, am still dredging.
I’m three days into making some of your raspberry gin (Although I obviously read a few posting and when I did it, added some Vanilla Essence which was propbably a mistake).
I’ll let you know how I get on.
I got into all this making Sloe Gin, but I know find that’s my least favourite of the homemade tipples… anyone else finding that?
Cranberry Vodka and Bramble Brandy have form e completely eclipsed it (could be my Sloe Gin recipe needs a revamp, all tips welcome!)
Cheers Maurice
I made some raspberry gin in June last year (2007), and it’s very good. But I left the fruit in-didn’t know I should have strained it. When should this be done, and should I strain what’s left of the gin or leave it as there’s not really much left?