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.
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i found bottling blackberry vodka best after six weeks, then leaving to mature in the bottles as long as possible, and wonder if this could be the same for rasberry gin, my cherry brandy is wonderfull, but I am leaving it to mature in the bottles for at least another year “well some of it”not all.
Just watching a cooking programme on a lazy Saturday Morning and there was a mention of Bramble Whiskey – so got sraight onto the old internet to hunt a receipe and (thankfully) found your wonderful conversations! Thank you for making me giggle and itching to have a go!
I love this web site unfortunately when i tried to join the general website I was sent a complicated password with symbols etc and dont know how they go, just one simple word would do HELP
I have never seen as many sloes as there are this year, East Anglia is a haven for free food if you know where to look especially fruit,Can you use brambles for making any drink or rose hips for rose hip gin.And thanks for the tips re fresh fruit salad and sloe gin will ttry it soon.My cherry brandy is bottled and waitin for Christmas i was going to give some away for gifts, my resolve has weakened
Hi Raymond
We have friends who drink sloe gin and tonic and also serve sloe gin on the rocks.
Interesting idea marinating game in it!
Hi ilona
Great idea I’m going to make a game casserole today so I’ll give this a go.
Re alternative uses for sloe / damson gin etc:
a splash(or more) works wonders in a fresh fruit salad. I also use it in place of sweet chinese wine in cooking. Used with bitter lemon it makes a longer drink called a ‘Long Pedlar’ (not sure about the spelling of pedler).
I usually use a recipe 1:1:1 by volume but do not leave the fruit in for more than 6-8 weeks, ideally I use Gordons export strength gin.
The hardest part is keeping it long enough to mature, at eight years it is fantastic!
I often put a slosh of sloe gin into any beef dish/casserole ….just adds a certain “je ne sais quoi”…!!
Well the sloes are really great this year and i now have 5x2litre jars of gin to help celebrate my coming retirement in 2010,I wonder if anybody has tried mixers with sloe gin or sloe on the rocks or anyother cocktails , I am interested. Also marinating game or any other recipesuseing sloe gin. Me I would use it for Baptising infants HEHEHE
I will have a go at the sherry, does anybody know if dried apricots will work in apricot brandy
i will try the pineaple I wonder if you can make apricot brandy useing dried apricots