What better way to start thinking about Christmas, than to get going on making home-made edible gifts like this delicious Blackberry Vodka?! It was the first recipe to catch my eye from Ren Behan’s debut cookbook Wild Honey & Rye, which I got stuck straight into making. I missed the boat on picking brambles myself this year, but the shops have been full of the most plump and beautiful blackberries I’ve seen in quite a while.
Making the Blackberry Vodka
It really couldn’t be any more simple. You just need some good sized jars – mine weren’t quite big enough so I ended up using two. I’d say you need at least a two litre sized jar. But it’s just a question of mixing the fruit with the sugar and pouring vodka over it. Then you put it away in a dark cupboard for a few weeks and let it work its magic. Simple!
Bottling the Blackberry Vodka
The recipe makes a litre of fruity vodka, so I used a mixture of presentation bottles from Lakeland – see their range here. Five 100ml bottles and two 250ml bottles, which means I can spread the love quite a long way out of one batch! I’m definitely going to do another round before the end of the month as it’s going to be so handy to have little gifts on hand.
I’ve kept a little bottle for myself for quality control purposes obvs. We drizzled some into a glass of cava at the weekend, with super delicious results!!!!
What to do with the leftover boozy berries!
So I was wondering what to make with the boozed up berries that were left at the end of the process. Would I make a boozy trifle or just eat them straight?! Well in the end I made a giant autumnal spin on the Eton Mess. I whipped up double cream and combined it with thick Greek yogurt, then stirred in crushed coconut meringues, the boozy berries and topped it all off with crushed amaretti biscuits. Absolutely lush! I’m afraid I didn’t take a picture so you’ll just have to imagine it…
Perfect for giving as gifts to friends and family, this fruity vodka is easy to make and easy to drink!
- 1 kg blackberries
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 70 cl bottle good-quality vodka at least 40% ABV
-
Wash the blackberries and pace them in a sterilised 2 litre preserving jar. Add the sugar and lightly crush the berries with the sugar. Pour over the vodka, seal the jar and shake. Leave to infuse in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks.
-
Strain the vodka into bottles. Serve chilled, preferably from the freezer.
Makes about 1 Litre
Do you make your own flavoured liquors? I’d love to hear about them below!
More home-made fruity booze ideas
Rhubarb Gin – Foodie Quine
Christmas Pudding Vodka – Foodie Quine
Strawberry Vodka Liqueur – Kavey Eats
Festive Spiced Cranberry & Orange Vodka – Fuss Free Flavours
Cranberry Infused Gin – Supper in the Suburbs
Hedgerow Vodka – Farmer’s Girl Kitchen
Pin this recipe to make later
I love making fruit vodkas, they turn out sooooo deliciously and they are so ridiculously easy! Love your photography, these look like perfect gifts, as is Ren’s beautiful cookbook, definitely one for the Christmas list!
Thanks Kavey, and yes Ren’s book is a real winner for Christmas!
Hi, I’ve made this a few times and it’s always been good, but this year it’s gone fizzy – any idea why? can I still drink it?
Hmmm I wonder if it’s had some air get into it or maybe the bottle wasn’t sterile enough? I’m sorry it’s gone fizzy 🙁
Question
Hi,
Hope to experiment as all sounds so delicious.
After I strain all thro a muslin, could the mushy fruit be used as a dessert perhaps? Could it be frozen for further use ?
You certainly could – you’ll need to sweeten it though.
Will this work with gin?
Yes I would think so!