Recipe: Damson Gin

Ingredients:

• 1 lb/450g damsons
• 3oz/85g sugar
• 1 bottle of gin

Method:

1. Prick the damsons and put into a clean sterilised glass bottle (must have a lid). Add in the sugar and shake once a day until it turns pink. Then add the gin and shake. Store in a cool, dark place, shaking the mixture once a day until the sugar fully dissolves.

2. The drink will be ready after three months – and with damsons usually ready for picking in September, the concoction should be ready by Christmas. You can strain the mixture if you like into a new bottle and use the damsons for Christmas pudding once de-stoned.

Some Useful Tips:

Keep It Clean - Before making your own damson gin, it is important that your damsons are of good quality and not bruied. Remove the little Stalks before washing them. Also be sure to use a food grade sterlizer for the containers before you add the contents.

Wild Damsons - They may be pretty hard to come by. For every thirty wild plum trees there may be just one wild damson tree. Use them if you can as the flavour will be different and whats more they're free.

When to pick - Around about September time, but that can change according to UK weather conditions. Pick when soft and let the sun get to them.