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
Hi Raymond
I agree wholeheartedly with you. Memories make the grog come alive!
I love all the different comments, my enjoyment comes not only in the drinking but in te finding all the secret places for various berries,I know where there are Badgers and Newts and wild orchid, I keepthese as close a secret as I do my Sloe and Blackberry places,great fun isnt it, and in the winter savouring my produce I delve into my memories
Hello David
I’m not sure about this. If I was you I’d experiment with juice and whole fruit (in separate bottles). Love to hear the results if you try this.
Hi Maggie
We sometimes do this – lethal…
Hi Vicky
Eau de Vie would work but it seems a shame to use it as it’s delicious on its own.
Hi Lise
Don’t forget to take the blackberries out after three months or the gin will taste woody.
Hello Ilona
Great tip – pouring over ice cream. Yummy.
Hi Howard
We added two drops and it was great.
Hi Raymond
You are so right regarding time!
You can put cinnamon sticks or a couple of drops of almond essence (no more than this though – I put too much in one year and had to throw away the lot).
tHE BEST WAY TO MAKE TIME GO SLOWLY IS TO MAKE sLOE gin or any fruit gin, it seems ages to wait for it to mature.Do I put cinnnamon sticks in my sloe gin or almond essence
Fiona – Your original posting of the Damson Gin recipe in 2006 mentioned that you would be experimenting with adding almond essence (as per Sloe Gin). Did you try this, and if so, what was your view on the result? Many thanks.
Howard
I made two large bottles using this wonderful raspberry recipe last year. Amazing!!
Regarding the fruit, once most of the liquid has been poured off, leave enough to cover the fruit and keep to pour over ice-cream or custard or vanilla puddings or pretty much anything really.
Tastes good!!
This sounds lovely, I shall try it with blackberries this year as I found a ton today. I’d gone to get sloes but was beaten to it and every single tree was bare 🙁 however all around were masses of lovely blacberries comepletely untouched. I’ve done blackberry/raspberry jam, blackberry chutney and will now try the gin. Only problem will be to keep away from it for that long!
Have very large bottle of eau de vie bought in France and am wondering if any of the sloe/damson/berry recipes could be used/converted to use this as the alcohol base? Presumably the sugar content would have to be increased? Stumbled across you site and have really enjoyed making a new batch of damson gin and using the fruit from the old lot for sherry.
Once you remove the fruit – be it sloes/berrys – add it to sherry – sweet is best and leave for a few month and you get berry gin/vodka sherry – yummy!!!
Hi, we have a juicer. would adding blackberry juice(or any fruit juice) to gin/vodka work as well as whole fruit?