Can you believe it’s the time of year we start seeing Autumnal fruits coming into season? Plums are appearing and with that comes our annual tradition of making a gently spiced plum gin. It takes three months of waiting patiently before you can sip the ruby coloured nectar which is delicious on its own or with a plain tonic with a few juniper berries scattered across it, so now is the time to start the process ready for Christmas gatherings and cosying in front of log fires.
Ingredients
- 1 litre of gin (we use this one)
- 1kg of plums (we have also used damsons in the past with equally good results)
- 250g of caster sugar
- A large pinch of cardamom pods slightly bashed (we use these)
- A large pinch of juniper berries (we use the Daylesford ones which don’t seem to be available at the moment but these also work)
- Other additions you could try adding are orange peel, star anise, a cinnamon stick or some fresh sliced ginger
Method
- Sterilise a large Kilner jar (we use this one year after year), wash the plums and measure out the ingredients
- Get a clean fork and pricks the plums all over to release the juices into the gin.
- Add all the ingredients to the jar, putting the gin in last. Seal the jar and give it a good shake then store in a cool, dry place (ours goes into a utility room cupboard).
- For the next week, shake the jar on a daily basis to help dissolve the sugar.
- Now the hard bit, leave it alone for three months.
- After three months, strain the gin through a muslin into a jug. We use this set which can be used for the rhubarb gin recipe which you can find here.
- Pour the gin into bottles which have been sterilised and seal ready to enjoy or give as gifts.
