The gin and fruit and sugar has been steeping for about 6 weeks now (see annual gin, jam, and chutney marathon). So I’m ready to put it into bottles. I’ve got Kilner bottles that I accumulated at car boots and emptied of gin over the last year, plus a pack of small one to fill for teachers.
I’m pretty sure that last year I just seived the fruit off. But the elderberries might have broken down and I’m pretty sure stuff will have come out of the rose hips, so I’m filtering.
It looks rather pretty:
But it’s so slow. Last year I investigated home vacuum pumps. This year I think there might be one on my Christmas wishlist!
The rosehip and elderberry filters started off well but the sloe is taking forever! I wasn’t sure whether there was particulate matter in the bottom of the filter or if my patience was just wearing thin, so I poured things back into jars to find the filter paper blocked. I wasn’t sure what else to try so I ended up changing the coffee filters frequently.
It took 24 hours in the end, all done for now. The little bottles for teachers look very cute and I’ve added a serving suggestion list:
- Over ice
- With lemonade
- With prosecco
The last is my favourite, like a poor man’s Kir Royale – delicious but deadly.
Smelly Socks and Garden Peas 
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