This recipe is traditionally made on the continent with doppelkorn or grainy vodka. Mrs Sam and I made 1 gallon of it a year past september with 1YO UJSSM and served it at Christmas to some friends and family. It did not last long. So after picking 26 Kg of blackberrys in Sept, we decided to make 3 gallon this year. It is packed with flavour and a hint of all the ingredients can be tasted at various stages while enjoying. Steady with the rosemary though, it can be very strong. Even adding an extra sprig about 4" long will begin to overwhelm it.
The fruit is delicious when eaten with ice-cream, try a choc-chip-mint flavour and you'll go back for seconds... The liqueur can be mixed and diluted down with various mixers it can also be enjoyed on its own with a little ice as a sippin beverage...
If you prefer not to have any alcohol in the fruit while serving, just strain the fruit from the liquid, add a little water and heat to 90deg in a pan for 5mins, then allow to cool naturally.
The alcohol will dissipate off, but the flavours will remain.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg blackberries (Brambles here in Scotland)
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 4" sprigs of rosemary
- 100g honey
- 250g Rock Ginger
- 1500ml of UJSSM or Bourbon @ 45% - 50%abv
- Wash the blackberries thoroughly with hot water then drain well.
- Cut vanilla bean into quarters.
- Place blackberries with vanilla, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, honey and crushed rock ginger into a large glass/ceramic container.
- Cover the ingredients with UJSSM (approx 1L) and seal the container.
- Store in a dark cool place for 6 weeks.
- Sieve the liqueur though a fine mesh colander (Do Not Throw the Fruit Away)
- Filter the liqueur with fine grain coffee paper.
- Decant the blackberry liqueur into closable bottles and store.
- Remove the vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and rosemary from your colander and place the fruit into mason jars.
- Top the mason jars off with UJSSM and leave until ready to consume.
The recipe could be altered, I'm happy with where its at, but it can be bent a little, just go easy on the rosemary... Be interesting to hear what you do with it...
Lemme know how you get on. BTW, I found about 1/2 a pint lying at the back of my store. Been there for a year, its friggin awesome, so make a little extra to stash away.
ps:I have known it to lose a little of its deep colour if stored in the light. Mature in the dark and use an opaque bottle, even a dark green or amber bottle would help it to hold it colour. I use a 1L earthenware bottle to decant to for serving. I'll get a picture of the finished product up soon...