Having posted yesterday about my adventures with sloes, I started thinking about some of the other lovely liquids I've tried making over the past few months.
For the last couple of Christmases I've put together handmade hampers for loved ones. The first comprised of a few homemade goodies supported by other shop bought gifts. Last Christmas I decided to make all the contents (only attempt this if you are a) incredibly blessed with free time; or b) are completely insane. I fall into the latter category). Included in my list of items to make were white wine and cranberry vodka.
The white wine was a sauvignon blanc variety, a kit purchased in the Happy Brewer, mentioned in my last post. It was a relatively simple process, all the stages having to be completed after a few days, so it was nicely broken down. The end result was a really quite tasty (albeit very strong) wine. The kit itself cost and exceptionally reasonable £12.95 and produced 6 bottles of wine that I'd have been happy to pay £10 each for.
It was then on to making my festively flavoured vodka. I used a combination of fresh and frozen cranberries (for no other reason other than I happened to have both in the house), popped them in a clip-top jar with plenty of sugar, topped up with vodka and left it to it's own devises for a couple of weeks. There was something incredibly satisfying about seeing a deep red hue develop in the jar, especially after giving it its weekly turn to get the berries moving and the sugar dissolving. Once ready, the liquid was strained through a boiled muslin and decanted into clip-top bottles. I did this about 2 weeks before handing the hampers over, allowing the flavour and colour to mature for a little longer. Mixed with lemonade this is a really gorgeous drink, and it really shouldn't just be for Christmas!
For the last couple of Christmases I've put together handmade hampers for loved ones. The first comprised of a few homemade goodies supported by other shop bought gifts. Last Christmas I decided to make all the contents (only attempt this if you are a) incredibly blessed with free time; or b) are completely insane. I fall into the latter category). Included in my list of items to make were white wine and cranberry vodka.
The white wine was a sauvignon blanc variety, a kit purchased in the Happy Brewer, mentioned in my last post. It was a relatively simple process, all the stages having to be completed after a few days, so it was nicely broken down. The end result was a really quite tasty (albeit very strong) wine. The kit itself cost and exceptionally reasonable £12.95 and produced 6 bottles of wine that I'd have been happy to pay £10 each for.
It was then on to making my festively flavoured vodka. I used a combination of fresh and frozen cranberries (for no other reason other than I happened to have both in the house), popped them in a clip-top jar with plenty of sugar, topped up with vodka and left it to it's own devises for a couple of weeks. There was something incredibly satisfying about seeing a deep red hue develop in the jar, especially after giving it its weekly turn to get the berries moving and the sugar dissolving. Once ready, the liquid was strained through a boiled muslin and decanted into clip-top bottles. I did this about 2 weeks before handing the hampers over, allowing the flavour and colour to mature for a little longer. Mixed with lemonade this is a really gorgeous drink, and it really shouldn't just be for Christmas!
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