Damson Whisky.

[basil]

I`ve had one on the go for sixteen months and tonight I strained it off and into another bottle.
The result is .... it won`t last long! Stunning flavour, fruity with a hint of Whisky.
I`m sure there`s some more Damsons in the freezer somewhere.

 

[andyf]

What recipe/method did you use? I've got a kilo or two of damsons in the freezer that I picked at a mate's place in the Lakes with the intention of doing some gin or whisky. But like many things, I've not got around to actually doing it (though I am doing my bit by emptying many bottles in readiness...)

 

[Miki]

What recipe/method did you use? I've got a kilo or two of damsons in the freezer that I picked at a mate's place in the Lakes with the intention of doing some gin or whisky. But like many things, I've not got around to actually doing it (though I am doing my bit by emptying many bottles in readiness...)

I think by putting the damsons in the freezer you will have killed of the natural yeast found on the skins.

The method for all skinned fruits (sloes, guages, damsons etc) is to put the unwashed/fresh picked fruit into a glass container with sugar. When you add the fruit run a knife over the surface slicing into the stone. In the case of sloes it's 1:1 with sweet fruit it's more like 0.5 sugar to 1 fruit. The yeast will interact with the sugar and after a short time the fruit and sugar will turn into a liquid and the yeast will ferment into alcohol.
Leave this in a warm environment for a year or so and you will have a sweet, alcoholic syrup with shriveled friut carcases. Strain these off and add 1ltr of Gin or Vodka (not sure about Whiskey tbh) to the remaining syrup. Leave this to settle (a couple of months) and then syphon off the finished drink. If you pour some Gin/Vodaq over the slops/fruit carcasses and leave this to soak you can use it to add to the next batch or produce a thinner/less liquer orintated drink.

If you just add the fruit and sugar to the Gin/Vodka at the start you kill the yeast and all you have done is just made a flavoured drink.
You can do the same by simply adding fruit flavouring to sugar.

 

[Miki]

What recipe/method did you use? I've got a kilo or two of damsons in the freezer that I picked at a mate's place in the Lakes with the intention of doing some gin or whisky. But like many things, I've not got around to actually doing it (though I am doing my bit by emptying many bottles in readiness...)

I think by putting the damsons in the freezer you will have killed of the natural yeast found on the skins.

The method for all skinned fruits (sloes, guages, damsons etc) is to put the unwashed/fresh picked fruit into a glass container with sugar. When you add the fruit run a knife over the surface slicing to the stone. In the case of sloes it's 1:1 with sweet fruit it's more like 0.5 sugar to 1 fruit. The yeast will interact with the sugar and after a short time the fruit and sugar will turn into a liquid and the yeast will ferment into alcohol.
Leave this in a warm environment for a year or so and you will have a sweet, alcoholic syrup with shriveled friut carcases. Strain these off and add 1ltr of Gin or Vodka (not sure about Whiskey tbh) to the remaining syrup. Leave this to settle (a couple of months) and then syphon off the finished drink. If you pour some Gin/Vodaq over the slops/fruit carcasses and leave this to soak you can use it to add to the next batch or produce a thinner/less liquer orintated drink.

If you just add the fruit and sugar to the Gin/Vodka at the start you kill the yeast and all you have done is just made a flavoured drink.
You can do the same by simply adding fruit flavouring to sugar.

 

[td]

What recipe/method did you use? I've got a kilo or two of damsons in the freezer that I picked at a mate's place in the Lakes with the intention of doing some gin or whisky. But like many things, I've not got around to actually doing it (though I am doing my bit by emptying many bottles in readiness...)

Lb damsons to ltr of gin to lb of sugar put damsons in a demy jar even if frozen add gin then add the sugar,turn the demy jar up and down every day till the sugar disappears then bottle and drink

 

[andyf]

I think by putting the damsons in the freezer you will have killed of the natural yeast found on the skins.

The method for all skinned fruits (sloes, guages, damsons etc) is to put the unwashed/fresh picked fruit into a glass container with sugar. When you add the fruit run a knife over the surface slicing to the stone. In the case of sloes it's 1:1 with sweet fruit it's more like 0.5 sugar to 1 fruit. The yeast will interact with the sugar and after a short time the fruit and sugar will turn into a liquid and the yeast will ferment into alcohol.
Leave this in a warm environment for a year or so and you will have a sweet, alcoholic syrup with shriveled friut carcases. Strain these off and add 1ltr of Gin or Vodka (not sure about Whiskey tbh) to the remaining syrup. Leave this to settle (a couple of months) and then syphon off the finished drink. If you pour some Gin/Vodaq over the slops/fruit carcasses and leave this to soak you can use it to add to the next batch or produce a thinner/less liquer orintated drink.

If you just add the fruit and sugar to the Gin/Vodka at the start you kill the yeast and all you have done is just made a flavoured drink.
You can do the same by simply adding fruit flavouring to sugar.

Cheers for that. I wasn't aware of utilising natural yeast to create fermentation and creating additional alcohol. I was just thinking along the lines of the alcohol coming from the spirit and the fruit providing the flavour, which is I suppose the second method you're describing. In sloe gin recipes I've seen they specifically suggest freezing the fruit which helps burst the skins and is the lazy man's alternative to pricking the skins by hand.

I'll give that a go and to be honest I can't imagine I'll be entirely disappointed with fruit flavoured booze...

 

[andyf]

Lb damsons to ltr of gin to lb of sugar put damsons in a demy jar even if frozen add gin then add the sugar,turn the demy jar up and down every day till the sugar disappears then bottle and drink

Thanks td. That looks like the simple method I was expecting. Stone in OK for the damsons??

 

[td]

Thanks td. That looks like the simple method I was expecting. Stone in OK for the damsons??

Yes stone in fine when you've sieved the gin into bottles remove the damsons,cut out the stone and dip the damsons in melted chocolate.

 

[basil]

Lb damsons to ltr of gin to lb of sugar put damsons in a demy jar even if frozen add gin then add the sugar,turn the demy jar up and down every day till the sugar disappears then bottle and drink

That`s the one.

 

[basil]

Yes stone in fine when you've sieved the gin into bottles remove the damsons,cut out the stone and dip the damsons in melted chocolate.

Or pour in a gallon of Scrumpy!

 

[shotguntom]

I've 6 ltr of Damson gin in the making - cant wait.

 

[andyf]

I've 6 ltr of Damson gin in the making - cant wait.

I've a feeling it will be the waiting bit I struggle with...