Home-made Plum Gin recipe
This home-made Plum Gin involves combining fresh plums, sugar and gin and allowing time for the essence of the fruit to transfer into the alcohol. The end result is a plum-flavoured liqueur which has a concentrated, sweet plum taste. It is fantastic either on its own or as an ingredient in cocktails.
Where I live in the Cotswolds, plums are in season in August and early September. This is the perfect time to make Plum Gin to drink at Christmas. If you make this recipe, you should imagine sipping a glass of dark red, fruity and delicious drink on a cold winter’s night!
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What you need to know about making Plum Gin
- You can use any kind of gin in this recipe. I generally use a mid-range supermarket brand. You don’t want to use a really top-class gin – better just to drink that with some tonic – but on the other hand you don’t want to use something that tastes like lighter fluid! If you don’t have any gin available, you can substitute vodka. You just need an alcohol base that will absorb all the delicious fruity flavour of the plums.
- You can make this recipe with any kind of plum. I use Victoria Plums, as I have a tree in my garden, but there are lots of other varieties available and they all make a good flavouring for gin.
- You need to allow at least three weeks for the flavour of the plums to transfer into the liquid. However, you can leave them in for up to two months. The longer the plums remain in the alcohol, the more intense the final flavour. Once the fruit is removed, the gin will last for at least a year.
Recipe variations
You can add additional flavourings to this Plum Gin.
- Star anise – put a couple of star anise pods in with the plums
- Vanilla – similarly, just add a vanilla pod to the jar
- Ginger – add a few slices of fresh ginger
- Cinnamon – add a cinnamon stick
- Cardamon – add three or four cardamon pods
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Other home-made gin
I love making fruit-flavoured gin. It is the perfect way to use seasonal fruit and flowers, at a time when there is often an over-supply, and preserve the wonderful flavour to enjoy later in the year. Some of my favourites are Blackberry Gin, Rhubarb Gin, Elderflower Gin and Damson Gin.
Home-made Plum Gin recipe
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Plum Gin
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10
- Yield: 500 ml 1x
- Category: Gin
- Cuisine: English
Description
This home-made Plum Gin involves combining fresh plums, sugar and gin and allowing time for the essence of the fruit to transfer into the alcohol.
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) fresh plums
- 100 g (4 oz) caster sugar
- 500 ml (1 pint) gin
Instructions
- Wash the plums. Prick them with a fork and then cut them in half without removing the stones.
- Place the plums in a sterilised jar.
- Add the sugar and gin and shake to mix together. The gin must cover the top of the plums.
- Put the lid on the jar.
- Keep it in a cool, dark place for four weeks.
- At the end of that time, the gin is ready to drink! Strain the gin into a sterilised bottle through a muslin cloth held in a funnel and discard the fruit.
Notes
You can sterilise your jam jars by washing them in warm, soapy water, rinsing well and then drying off for 15 minutes in an oven set at 140C/120C fan/gas 1.
Although it only takes 20 minutes preparation time, you will need to allow 24 hours for the rhubarb to macerate in the sugar and, once you have added the gin, it will take a further four weeks to allow the flavour to develop.
Keywords: gin, plum, home-made gin, fruit gin,
This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Recipes Made Easy and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday and Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons
Ive got plum Im so making this for Christmas. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
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Yes, make it for Christmas too 😊
I’m not always a gin fan, but I do like it with interesting flavours so this sounds great. #cookblogshare
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Thank you. It is gin-based but tastes more like a fruit liqueur. I’ve tried it on a few people who are not big fans of gin and they seem to like it!
I love any way we can preserve the season and appreciate it later. I think I would make this with vodka (bad college experience with gin that has lingered for many years). Thank you for bringing it to Fiesta Friday. Plums are not quite here yet in N CA but I expect them very soon.
Thank you! It is good made with vodka too. We are in the middle of plum season here in the UK so making lots of plum recipes at the moment.
If I hadn’t just made a load of cassis, I’d be very tempted by this plum gin. One to remember for next year. I do love the autumn harvest, but it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. This is a great recipe to use up excess plums without having to go to too much trouble.
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Thank you. I have only really discovered home-made gins recently and am working my way through a (long) list of recipes. I absolutely agree that they are a really easy way to make good use of a seasonal oversupply of produce.
Made this last year with Beefeater gin and cardamom and my only complaint is I didn’t make enough! Just mixed up a batch tonight, and I’m making enough to give away as Christmas gifts.
A tip for everyone – Don’t discard the plums when you pour off the final product! Refrigerate or freeze them until you have time to bake, then make a plum cake with them – so delish! My kids went nuts for this when I did it last year.
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Thank you! I love your idea of using the plums in a cake – I’m definitely going to try that!
Oooo! Do you have a recipe for a good plum cake?
I made this last year and it didn’t last long. Just about to make this year’s batch. I live on the edge of the Cotswolds and our one plum tree has far too many plums on. Obviously 2021 has been a good year. Its absolutely delicious with tonic and basil!
I made a crumble with the strained plums.
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Our plum tree has been very productive this year too! I am just starting to experiment with uses for the strained plums and will definitely be trying them in a crumble.
Is it possible to leave plums in for too long? I have a bottle I started and then forgot about. It tastes a bit horrific. Can it be saved or is it a ditch and start again?
Hi Nathan – You should really only leave the plums in the gin for about four weeks. If you leave them for longer, then the taste can deteriorate. Once the plums are removed from the gin, it will keep indefinitely. And you can use the plums in other recipes like crumble.
Hi just about to make my plum gin for Christmas. I tried rhubarb gin in the summer and used the strained fruit for a crumble but found it very strong infused with the gin.
Any tips with the plumbs being used in a crumble as I really don’t want to waste them.
Thanks Jim
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Hi Jim. Thanks for your question. You could mix the plums that have been infused with gin with an equal quantity of other fruit – apples would go well – and that would mean that the alcohol taste would not be so strong.