Christmas Blackberry Liqueur

I can already feel the onslaught of cries from those of you, like myself, who are desperately clinging to the last few strands of Summer for whom the mere mention of Christmas brings on a rash. However, I can promise you that this post will not only help you to make the most of the breezy late Summer days, but also to make the long Winter months slightly more bearable. All of this, of course, will be entangled with the Wise Old Rabbit's penny pinching ways to achieve something not only wonderful, but truly affordable.

And so... let's make Christmas Blackberry Liqueur.  Not only perfect for presents (if you can bare to give it away), but also perfect to sip with family and friends whilst watching The Snowman on a December evening. Even better than that... the main ingredient of this Wintry delight is currently FREE... if you can be bothered to go out and get it (which I urge you to).

Of course, I am talking about blackberries, which can currently be plucked from thorny bushes in parks, hedgerows, commons and woodland all over the UK.  Yesterday afternoon, Mr Rabbit and I headed out to our local common, Tupperware in hand, and collected our socks off. In just over an hour of thorn dodging in the sunshine we had 2.5lbs (about 1kg) of free blackberries. Not for one minute would I suggest making this recipe with blackberries from the supermarket; a large quantity is required, and it would cost you a fortune (according to today's prices, about £10).

The process for making this liqueur is extremely simple, being patient enough to wait for it to steep over three months is the hard part.

You will need;

1 x Large Kilner style jar (available from Ikea for £2)
800g x Blackberries
280g x White sugar
500ml x Vodka
200ml x Dark Rum (the Aldi or Lidl stuff is fine)
1 x Large muslin cloth (can be bought very cheaply in the baby department of any large supermarket)
2 x Medium / 1 x Large Kilner style bottle in which to store your finished product (can be bought for £2-3 each online, or treat yourself to some posh cordial from M&S and re-use the bottle)

Step 1
Steralize your jar by washing well in hot, soapy water and then placing in an oven (pre-heated to 130°C) for 20mins. You must then leave the jar to cool, as placing cool liquids into hot glass jars will end in a splintering disaster.

Step 2
Place your blackberries in a large bowl and fill with water. Swish them around to clean and remove any clinging insects or debris. Scoop the blackberries from the water and place in the bottom of the cooled jar.

Step 3
Top the blackberries with the sugar and finally the alcohol. Seal and invert the glass a few times to mix (don't be alarmed if some of the sugar remains undissolved at this point). Leave to develop in a cool, dark place (like the garage) for 3-4 months, inverting the jar a few times every 2-3 days.

Step 4
After the allotted time, strain the liquid using the muslin cloth and decant into your bottles.

A side note: If you really don't want to buy any Kilner style glass wear, this can be made in the vodka bottle. However, when it comes to straining, it can be difficult to get all of the blackberry mush out of the bottom of the bottle.

Until next time... spend wisely, give generously,

The Wise Old Rabbit