Blackcurrant and Bay Liqueur

This liquor makes the cutest gift when packaged into mini bottles! If you can’t find frozen blackcurrants, look for bags of frozen black forest fruits as they will usually contain them. You can either pick through the bag for the blackcurrants or use the mix as is (but the final liqueur will likely end up a little sweeter).

Hands-on time 10min, plus

maturing. Makes about 700ml

400g frozen blackcurrants, see intro

200g caster sugar

2 fresh bay leaves, plus extra, optional, to decorate

700ml gin

1 Empty the blackcurrants into a rough 1.5-2 litre sterilised bottle or jar (that has a lid). Add the caster sugar, seal and shake to settle the sugar. Add the bay leaves and pour in the gin.

2 Re-seal and leave in a cool, dark place for at least a week (up to a month), shaking the bottle every few days until the sugar dissolves.

3 When ready, strain the liqueur and decant into sterilised bottles (see TIP). Seal and decorate with bay leaves, if you like.

PER 30ML 109cals, 0g protein, 0g fat (0g saturates), 10g carbs (10g total sugars), 0g fibre

TO STORE Keep in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

The 30ml glass bottles came from Ampulla (77p each) and the 50ml Fillable Gin Baubles came from Moobarb on eBay (£7.95 for 6).