Blackberry Gin

Home-made Blackberry Gin

This method for home-made Blackberry Gin is incredibly easy and results in a beautiful ruby-coloured, sweet liqueur. It has a delicious, rich, sweet-sour flavour.

I have only recently started making Blackberry Gin. Having had some initial success with Elderflower Gin and Rhubarb Gin (which is great for cocktails!) last year, I started to think about other seasonal fruits that I could use to produce delicious home-made gin! I have always been a keen blackberry picker but, in the past, have used them for jam and also cakes, puddings and desserts such as Blackberry Muffins, Blackberry Crumble and Blackberry Fool. However, it occurred to me that they might taste pretty good as a flavouring for gin.

Late August and early September is blackberry season in the Cotswolds. On my daily dog walks, I see the brambles growing rapidly during early summer. By mid-summer, their flowers are turning to fruit. In late summer, within a week or so, they suddenly seem to be covered in hundreds of juicy blackberries. You can, of course, buy blackberries all year round in supermarkets these days. However, there is nothing like picking your own. Even people who would never forage for any other kind of wild produce have memories of going blackberrying. Where I live, it is a pretty popular thing to do. On my relatively short drive to work last week, I saw no less than three groups of people, equipped with plastic containers and thick gloves, picking the blackberries that grow along the roadside.

In the past few years, there has been an increase in the popularity of flavoured gins, including Blackberry Gin, produced by niche producers and selling for a premium in supermarkets.  I think home-made and traditional is best in terms of both flavour and price, so why not try making your own? It is really easy!

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What you need to know about making Blackberry Gin

  • First off, it is incredibly easy. Even to describe it as a recipe is a bit of an exaggeration! You simply need to combine the blackberries, sugar and gin and leave for the delicious fruity flavour to infuse the liquid.
  • However, you do need to think ahead. You cannot just rustle up a batch of Blackberry Gin to drink tomorrow as it needs around a month for the infusion of flavour to happen.
  • I think of this as a seasonal recipe and make it in August and September when there are plentiful wild blackberries growing near my house. I make a lot of infused gins around that time of year using season produce such as damsons, plums and also late rhubarb. Their sweet, fruitiness makes them ideal as drinks over the Christmas and New Year period.
  • However, if you want to make this recipe using bought blackberries – either fresh or frozen – it will still work. It will just be a bit more expensive to make as the main flavouring ingredient is not free! Also, I find that shop-bought blackberries tend to be sweeter than wild blackberries so you won’t get such a tangy sweet-sour flavour.
  • I use a basic, “own-brand” gin from the supermarket to make this recipe. It is not worth using anything fancy. You can also use vodka as an alternative.

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How to drink Blackberry Gin

The result of this recipe is a sweet, alcoholic liqueur-style drink. I like it best served on its own in a small glass (or maybe several small glasses!). You can drink it as an aperitif before a meal or, my preference, as a liqueur at the end of a meal. It is also a good to drink as an accompaniment to a dessert course, as alternative to a dessert wine. This is particularly true if the dessert includes blackberries or other complementary flavours such as apple.

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Other home-made fruit gins

If you enjoy this Blackberry Gin, you may also be interested in my other easy recipes for Rhubarb Gin, Plum Gin, Damson Gin and Elderflower Gin.

Blackberry Gin recipe

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Blackberry Gin

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15
  • Yield: 200 ml 1x
  • Category: Gin
  • Cuisine: English

Description

Making your own Blackberry Gin is so easy and the end result is a delicious reminder of blackberry season that you can enjoy all year around!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 200 g (7 oz) blackberries
  • 100 g  (3.5 oz) caster or super-fine sugar
  • 200 ml (quarter of a pint) gin

 


Instructions

  1. Wash the blackberries thoroughly.
  2. Mix the blackberries thoroughly with the sugar in a large bowl.
  3. Spoon the blackberries and sugar into a sterilised jar.  Leave for 24 hours to allow the blackberries to macerate in the sugar and   release their juices.
  4. Add the gin to the jar of blackberries and sugar.  Shake thoroughly to ensure it is mixed.
  5. Leave in a cool, dry, dark place for four weeks.
  6. At the end of that time, the gin is ready to drink!    Strain the gin into sterilised bottles through a muslin cloth held in a funnel and it will keep for approximately six months.

 


Notes

You can sterilise your jar by washing it 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 15 minutes preparation time, you will need to allow 24 hours for the blackberries 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. 

You can scale this recipe up or down according to how many blackberries you feel like picking.  Add half as much weight in sugar as your weight of blackberries.  The amount of gin in ml should be equivalent to the weight in grams of your blackberries. 

Keywords: blackberries, blackberry, gin, home-made gin, blackberry recipe

Blackberry Ice Cream

Blackberry Ice Cream flavoured with Bay

This Blackberry Ice Cream is perfect for late summer or early autumn when the blackberries are in season. It is a simple, custard-based ice cream which is flavoured with a sweetened puree of blackberries. I also add an additional flavouring by adding bay leaves to the custard mixture. Blackberry and bay is an excellent flavour pairing. The warm spiciness of the bay provides a background note to the sweet and sour flavour of the berries.

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What you need to know about this Blackberry and Bay Ice Cream

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  • As I am keen on using seasonal, local produce, I make this ice cream with foraged wild blackberries. However, if you want to make it outside of blackberry season – August to September in the UK – then it is absolutely fine to use shop-bought blackberries. However, the blackberries that you buy in the shops are bred for sweetness and will not have the sharp, sweet-sour flavour of wild blackberries. If you are using shop-bought blackberries, you may want to add the juice of one additional lemon to the ice cream mixture.
  • I like to experiment with flavour combinations and so I have added bay leaf to the recipe. If you don’t have any bay leaves to hand, or simply don’t like the idea of adding this to your ice cream, that is fine. Just leave it out. The ice cream will still taste good!
  • Although you can make this recipe without an ice cream maker, it is a lot easier if you have one. You can buy a basic ice cream maker fairly cheaply.
  • It is best to start this recipe the day before you eat it. This will mean that once you have made the basic custard, it will have time to chill down before you put it in the ice cream maker the next day.
  • You can also make this ice cream well in advance if that is more convenient. I generally make double the quantity and keep it in the freezer where it will last for up to three months.
  • As with most home-made ice creams, it helps to remove the container from the freezer about ten minutes before serving as this will make it easier to scoop.

How to eat this Blackberry and Bay Ice Cream

This ice cream is pretty good just serves on its own. However, here are a some ideas for other ways that you can serve it.

  • A few fresh blackberries served with the ice cream is a good addition.
  • Blackberry and apple is a classic combination. You could serve this ice cream as an accompaniment to any apple-based dessert. It is excellent served along with Apple Ice Cream and also with Apple Crumble or Apple Pie.
  • A drizzle of something alcoholic is also a good way to go with any ice cream in my view. Try something with a base note of apple, such as an apple liqueur. Alternatively, go for a double hit of blackberry by using Blackberry Gin.
In praise of blackberries

I try to use seasonal, local food but I am not an expert forager and am still on a steep learning curve about identifying and using wild food. However, blackberries are a foraged food that I have picked and enjoyed since I was a child. They are easily identifiable and grow in abundance pretty much everywhere in late summer. The time to pick blackberries is August and September. I will pick enough to use immediately and also try and pick a supply for the freezer as they freeze very well. In addition to ice cream, they are great in crumbles and pies and can also be used to make Blackberry Gin and Blackberry Muffins.

Other home-made ice cream recipes

I am a great home-made ice cream enthusiast. I make it in the summer, of course, but am happy to eat it in winter too! There are some brilliant, shop-bought ice creams available but it is so easy to make your own. I like to experiment with flavours and some of my other recipes are listed below.

  • Roasted Cherry Ice Cream – juicy fresh cherries with a bit of booze make this a rich and indulgent dessert (you can leave out the alcohol if you really want to)
  • Coffee Ice Cream – quick and easy, store-cupboard recipe using instant coffee which has an amazingly rich coffee flavour
  • Cranberry Ice Cream – if you have any left-over cranberry sauce, you know what to do with it
  • Elderflower Ice-cream – easy recipe using elderflower cordial – delicious floral taste of summer!
  • Lavender Ice-cream – another gorgeous floral ice cream (bit of a theme here at tastebotanical…) made with fresh or dried culinary lavender
  • Lemon Curd Ice Cream – this tangy, three-ingredient recipe is probably the simplest ice cream recipe you will find
  • Rose Ice-cream – made with culinary rosewater, this ice cream is the essence of an English summer garden
  • Strawberry Balsamic Ice-cream – strawberry ice cream given a lift with a dash of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness
  • Thyme ice-cream with honey and mascarpone – thyme, honey and mascarpone…. in an ice cream – what’s not to like?

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Lost in Food and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday  and  Zeba @ Food For The Soul

Blackberry Ice Cream recipe

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Blackberry Ice Cream

Blackberry Ice Cream

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Ice Cream
  • Cuisine: English

Description

This Blackberry Ice Cream is made from juicy fresh blackberries enhanced by the rich spicy flavour of Bay.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 450 g (1 lb) fresh blackberries
  • 50 g (5 oz) caster sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 425 ml (15 fl oz) double cream
  • 4 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
  • 4 egg yolks

Instructions

  1. Puree  the blackberries, caster sugar and lemon juice in a food processor or using a hand blender.  You will have approximately 600 ml of puree depending on the juiciness of your blackberries.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until the mixture looks paler and resembles a mousse.
  3. Add the bay leaves to the cream and heat it to scalding point in a saucepan or in a microwave. Do not allow to boil – it will be the right temperature when you are just about able to bear to dip a finger in it.
  4. Pour the cream into the bowl containing the egg yolks and whisk all the time.
  5. Transfer the combined mixture into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or, ideally a double-boiler, as you need to reheat it very gently.
  6. The mixture will gradually thicken until it looks like a custard (which is what it is).  Stir regularly to make sure it does not stick while it is thickening.
  7. Remove the thick custard from the heat and transfer into a bowl.  Do not remove the bay leaves from the custard yet.  They will continue to impart their flavour while the custard cools.
  8. Add approximately two thirds (400 ml) of your blackberry puree to the custard.
  9. Allow to cool to room temperature and then transfer to the fridge to become thoroughly chilled.
  10. When you are ready to make the ice-cream, remove the bay leaves and transfer the ice cream mixture to your ice cream maker and use according to your machine’s instructions.  If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can place the mixture in a freezer-proof container, put in the freezer for several hours until half-frozen.  Whisk the mixture and then return to the container and replace in the freezer until totally frozen.
  11. When the ice cream is almost set, stir in the remaining one third of the blackberry puree so that it forms a “ripple” through the ice cream.

Keywords: ice cream, blackberries, blackberry

Blackberry Muffins

Home-made Blackberry Muffin recipe

These Blackberry Muffins are an English seasonal take on a traditional Blueberry Muffin. I love blackberries and thought that they might be a good alternative to blueberries in a muffin. They have a dark, sweet juiciness which is perfect in a light, sweet vanilla-flavoured muffin.

Muffins are very easy to make. It really is a question of mixing all the ingredients together, cooking for 20 minutes, and then enjoying your freshly baked muffins. The key to a good muffin, as well as having a good flavour combination, is to eat it when it is fresh. A warm muffin, just out of the oven, is truly sublime. A two-day old muffin, not so much!

I like to try and keep things seasonal, as much as I can, so I tend to make these Blackberry Muffins in late August and September when I can pick fresh blackberries. However, if I am organised enough, I pick lots of blackberries during the season as they freeze very well and can be used throughout the year. Also, nowadays, you can buy blackberries in most supermarkets.

I tend to serve muffins as a treat with morning coffee. I will sometimes take them into work or, if I’m working from home, will enjoy a solitary muffin and coffee break. Muffins are also great additions to lunchboxes for children or adults as they are fairly robust and don’t disintegrate into crumbs too easily!

Lovely cakes!

If you like these muffins, you may like some of the other cake recipes that I cook regularly. They are so quick and easy to make and you can get really creative with the flavours! On other pages of this blog you can find recipes for Rosemary Cake,  Thyme Cake, Earl Grey and Orange Cake,Lemon DrizzleBlood OrangeLime and CoconutRum and Banana and Ginger and Pear.

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Blackberry Muffins

Blackberry Muffins

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 large muffins 1x
  • Category: Muffins
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British

Description

Blackberry Muffins are quick and easy to make and are a great way of using this dark, juicy berry!  Eat them fresh out of the oven when they are still warm.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 100 g butter
  • 140 g golden caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 200 ml Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 125 g blackberries (washed)

Blackberries


Instructions

  1.  Set your oven to 200 C/180F/Gas Mark 6.
  2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin.   
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together using a food-processor or hand-held beater.
  4. Add the eggs, yogurt, vanilla essence and milk and stir to combine.
  5. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture.
  6. Gently stir in the blackberries.   Some will get a bit crushed when they are stirred in but this is fine as it spreads the flavour!
  7. Put around two tablespoons of the mixture into each of the lined holes in your muffin tray.
  8. Put the muffin tray into the oven and bake the muffins for 20 minutes.  They will be ready when they are risen and golden on top.
  9. Remove the tins for the oven and allow the muffins to cool for five minutes before removing from the tin.

Blackberry Muffins


Notes

If you don’t have shop-bought liners, you can easily make your own by cutting baking parchment into squares and using a small jar or tin to mould each square into the hole in the tin before adding the mixture.

Blackberry Muffins

Keywords: muffins, blackberries

Recipe shared on “Cook, Blog, Share” by Easy Peasy Foodie and on #Baking Crumbs by Apply to Face Blog and Jo’s Kitchen Larder

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