11 October, 2018
Winter Warmer Apple Gin
This year I was determined to use my garden apple windfall! And of course the first thing that sprang to mind was….. Apple Gin! (Yes, I know, most people would probably have gone for apple pie!) I have tweaked the recipe for ‘Spiced Apple Gin’ from infusapalooza.co.uk to create a Winter Warmer Apple Gin. Lots of people have asked me for this recipe, so here goes…
Ingredients:
- 1 litre Gin (I used Aldi’s Oliver Cromwell Gin, £14.19 for 1 litre)
- 6 large garden apples
- 1 cinnamon stick
Equipment:
- Funnel (I used a Kilner Stainless Steel Easy Strainer Funnel)
- Muslin cloth
- 2 large (1 litre) kilner jars for infusing
- 2 preserving bottles (500ml)
Allow 3 weeks for infusing.
Instructions:
- Wash and core the apples and cut into thin slices (I left the skin on).
- Split the gin between the 2 large jars and equally share out the apple slices between each jar.
- Leave the bottles in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, for 2 weeks to infuse.
- After 2 weeks, pour the gin back into the original bottle through a funnel or sieve to remove the apples. The gin will look a murky, caramel colour! But this is fine! Make sure you squeeze the apples to extract as much gin and flavour as possible. The boozy apples could now be put to use in a chutney or bake?!
- Place a cinnamon stick into the gin and leave it to infuse for another week. You could add other spices such as nutmeg at this point if you fancy.
- After the week is over, strain the gin through a funnel with filter paper or cloth.
- Bottle up ready for drinking!
I haven’t tried the gin yet! I’m keeping it for Christmas (it would make a lovely Christmas gift for a gin lover). My serving suggestion would be to serve it ice cold and neat! I’m going to pop a bottle into the freezer and serve in chilled shot glasses! I think it would also work with tonic and an apple garnish or as a base for apple cocktails.