Читать книгу Gin Made Me Do It: 60 Beautifully Botanical Cocktails - Ruby Taylor - Страница 8
ОглавлениеSome of the cocktails in this book call for flavoured gin. There are lots of commercially made flavoured gins (and all of the flavours in this book are available in shops), but it’s easy to make your own infused gins at home if you prefer. I use a London dry gin as the base spirit when I’m making infusions. And while I don’t use the best small-batch, artisanal craft gin to make them, I also avoid the cheap, bargain basement bottles of spirits that only just qualify as gin. If you’d drink it in a G&T on a Wednesday night, then it will be good enough for these infusions.
Rhubarb Gin (makes approximately 900ml/30fl oz)
400g (14oz) rhubarb
250g (8oz) caster sugar
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
700ml (24fl oz) London dry gin
Wash and trim the rhubarb and chop it into 2 centimetre (¾in) chunks. Scoop into a sterilised 1½ litre (50fl oz) jar. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Seal the jar and give it a good shake, then leave it to steep for 24 hours – this will draw the juices out of the rhubarb. After 24 hours, pour in the gin, seal the jar again and leave to steep somewhere dark and dry for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, strain the gin through a sieve. Discard the rhubarb and pour the gin back into the jar or a sterilised bottle.
Raspberry Gin (makes approximately 800ml/27fl oz)
250g (8oz) raspberries
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
700ml (24fl oz) London dry gin
Drop the raspberries and sugar into a 1 litre (34fl oz) sterilised jar. Pour in the gin. Seal the jar and leave it to steep somewhere dark and dry for 2 weeks. Give the jar a shake every few days to help dissolve the sugar. After no more than 2 weeks, strain the gin. Discard the raspberries and pour the gin back into the jar or into a sterilised bottle.
Clementine Gin (makes approximately 900ml/30fl oz)
3 large (or 5 small) clementines
200g (7oz) caster sugar
700ml (24fl oz) London dry gin
Quarter the clementines, keeping the skin on, and add them to a sterilised 1½ litre (50fl oz) jar. Add the sugar and gin, seal the jar and leave it to steep somewhere dark and dry for 2 weeks. Give the jar a shake every few days to help dissolve the sugar. After 2 weeks, strain through a sieve. Discard the clementines and pour the gin back into the jar or into a sterilised bottle. If you leave this gin for 3 weeks, the flavour of the pith will come through and it will have a more marmalady flavour. Don’t steep it for longer than 3 weeks or it will become bitter.
Earl Grey Gin (makes approximately 700ml/24fl oz)
4 tbsp Earl Grey loose leaf tea
700ml (24fl oz) London dry gin
Drop the Earl Grey into an 800 millilitre (27fl oz) sterilised jar and pour in the gin. Seal the jar and leave it to steep for no more than 2 hours. After 2 hours, strain the gin through a sieve. Discard the tea and pour the gin back into the jar or into a sterilised bottle.
Sloe Gin (makes approximately 850ml/28fl oz)
400g (14oz) sloes
2 almonds
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
700ml (24fl oz) London dry gin
Prepare your sloes by pricking them all over with a sterilised needle or putting them in a freezerproof tub or bag and freezing them for 48 hours to crack them. Tip the sloes into a 1½ litre (50fl oz) sterilised jar. Lightly crush the almonds and add them to the jar with the sugar. Pour in the gin. Seal the jar and leave it to steep somewhere dark and dry for 3–12 months. Shake the jar every few days during the first couple of weeks to help dissolve the sugar. After at least 3 months, strain the gin through a sieve and taste it. If it’s too tart for your taste, stir in a little Simple Syrup (see below) until it’s sweet enough. Pour back into the jar or a sterilised bottle.
Simple Syrup (makes approximately 200ml/7fl oz)
When you’re first tasting an infused gin, it’s a good idea to have some sugar syrup like this on hand, in case the gin isn’t quite sweet enough. It’s also handy for making cocktails, as it’s much easier to mix than plain sugar.
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
100ml (3½fl oz) water
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Gently heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Pour the syrup into a sterilised jar, seal and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
You can also add flavour to your Simple Syrup with herbs (see here), or aromatics (see here) for an extra dimension.
