Christmas can be a difficult time to hold on to ideals of frugal living. The very idea of scrimping and scraping seems at odds with the whole atmosphere of Christmas time, filled with festivities and feasting.
But I refused to be
defeated by Christmas cheer and instead of thinking about all the
things I couldn't afford to buy, I began to think about how I could
obtain or make them more cheaply.
Merry Berry Vodka was
born, a very festive coloured vodka based fruit liqueur drink. I did
some costings for Merry Berry Vodka which work out to £0.80 per 100
ml, compared to a branded fruit vodka which cost £1.86 per 100 ml.
The Merry Berry Vodka
costing does not include the cost of the jars as I reused jam jars
saved from my recycling. If you want to give this as a gift you can
decant it into a more decorative bottle. Amazon has a large range of
bottles that would make lovely gifts. Click here to go to Amazon.
The vodka I used was
the cheapest I could find and cost £8.95 for 750ml, you can of
course use a more expensive vodka if you can scrimp to it.
Here is the recipe for
Merry Berry Vodka.
Ingredients
600ml vodka.
600ml water
500g frozen mixed
fruit
500g sugar
Equipment
(Ensure that all the
equipment is thoroughly cleaned and the jars/ bottles are sterilised before use)
potato masher
large bowl
sieve
large saucepan
glass jars or bottles
muslin (optional)
1 small glass jar
(optional)
Method
1. Sterilise the glass
jars/ bottles plus the small jar if using. Click here for how to
sterilise glass jars.
2. Put the fruit and sugar in to the saucepan and place over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has softened.
3. Using the potato
mash, mash the fruit and sugar mixture.
4. Increase the heat
and bring the fruit mixture to the boil.
5. Whilst the fruit
mixture is boiling, pour the vodka in to the bowl along with the
water, place the sieve over the bowl.
6. Now remove the fruit
mixture from the heat and carefully pour it on to the vodka water mix
through the sieve. Stir the mixture.
7. Scrape the fruit
pulp from the sieve and fill the small jar if using, it makes a
lovely jam or topping for natural yoghurt. If you are not using the
muslin go straight to 9 and fill the jars.
8. Place the sieve over
the saucepan and line with the muslin. Carefully pour the vodka
mixture through the sieve back in to the saucepan. Repeat this again
pouring through the muslin back in to the bowl. This extra step will
remove any pips and pulp and will give a nice clear liquid.
9. Carefully pour the
vodka mix in to the jars or bottles. To fill bottles either use a
funnel or pour the mixture in to a jug first, then pour in to the
bottles.
10. Seal the lids on
the jars/ bottles. Leave to cool then label and date. Leave for about
a week before drinking to allow the flavour to mellow and develop.
Now you have made Merry
Berry Vodka. It does need to be left in a cool dark cupboard for at
least a week to get that lovely smooth flavour to it. If you try to
drink it straight away it can be a bit over powering.
If you do find that
even after a week it still is not quite to your taste, it can still
be tinkered. Just remember to thoroughly clean all the equipment.
If you find the Merry
Berry Vodka a little too sweet for your taste, pour it back out in to
a large bowl and add 1 part water 1 part vodka, how much you add is
up to your own taste.
If you find the vodka
taste is too strong, pour the mixture out in to a large saucepan, add
50- 100g sugar (again to your own taste) and gently heat until the
sugar is dissolved.
I made my Merry Berry
Vodka with mixed berries simply because they were the cheapest pack
of frozen fruit, but it can be made from a single berry, blackberry
and raspberry are particularly nice. In the summer months the frozen
fruit can be substituted for fresh alternatives.
Merry Berry Vodka is a
lovely scrimping way to save money on alcoholic drinks, and can be
enjoyed responsibly at any time of year, not just for Christmas.
