Ah, spiritus, that wonderful thing (as long as you are careful what & where you buy). This year was my first at experimenting with fruit liqueurs/vodkas from spiritus. The1st recipe I was given, the 2nd came about by accident - but everyone loved it so much I have loads of orders to make it next year. For both you need a large wide neck jar that has an airtight seal.
1. Fill jar 3 quarters full with raspberries, slightly pushed down. Add spiritus to cover,seal and leave for 3 months (shaking contents once a week). After 3 months, strain the contents into a sterilised measuring jug (retaining the fruit). In saucepan add water to the same volume of spirit, sugar to taste (approx 300g per litre), heat until sugar dissolves and bring to a light boil. Allow the syrup to cool slightly. While cooling, put the spirit into a clean, airtight jar and the fruit back in it's original jar. Once the liquid has cooled enough, pour over the fruit and reseal. Store both in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. Lastly, strain the fruit liquid into a sterilised large bowl/pan/measuring jug squeezing out as much jugs as possible (jelly bags are perfect to use for this) and decant into sterilised bottles, seal and allow to mature for 6 months.
2. Fill jar with strawberries (do not compress) until 2.5cm below lid, add 8 black peppercorns per litre the jar holds. Pour over spiritus, seal and put in fridge for 4 weeks, shaking every 2-3 days. Strain spirit into clean bottles (retaining fruit), until each is half full, seal and put in freezer. Put fruit back in jar and add 200g sugar per litre the jar holds and fill with pre-boiled, cooled, water. Seal and place somewhere warm for 10 days, opening jar everyday as some fermentation can take place. After 10 days strain liquid into the bottles containing the spirit, refreeze for 48 hours minimum, then enjoy (you need to allow it to defrost slightly as the alcohol level means it can freeze slightly, but it has a surprising kick).
BTW, thanks to the other posters, you've given me some recipes to try over winter, this year.
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