Blackberry liqueur

 Blackberry liqueur

Crème de mûre aka Blackberry liqueur

This summer was especially good for blackberries. It made perfect sense to try something new and exciting - Crème de mûre aka Blackberry liqueur. It's a pretty straightforward recipe which I'd like to share with you. À votre santé!

Summary

Makes about 1 litre

Preparation:20 mins

Cooking:3 mins

2 days macerating


Ingredients

600g blackberries, fresh of course!

750ml bottle of good-quality red wine

300g white granulated sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)

300ml vodka (or gin)

Method

STEP 1



Pick tree-ripe blackberries and remove any stalks or leaves - wash thoroughly. 


Tip into a large ceramic or glass bowl and pour over the wine. 


Crush the berries into the wine using a potato masher. 


Cover with a tea towel and leave to macerate in a cool place for 2 days, mashing occasionally.


STEP 2


Pour the mixture through a plastic sieve, then pass again through the sieve or a colander lined with a square of muslin, loose plain weave cloth made from cotton, to remove any seeds or fleshy bits. 


STEP 3 


Tip the juice into a pan and add the sugar. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 2-3 minutes to get a syrupy consistency. 


STEP 4 

Let it cool to room temperature, then stir in the vodka or gin. 


Pour into sterilised bottles, then seal and label. It’s ready to use straight away. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight for up to 1 year.


THE FUN PART

Serve chilled.



Bonus STEP: With the wine-soaked mushed-up blackberries - make a blackberry and apple crumble or jam. Visit https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/apple-blackberry-crumble 



August 2023 update


In my second year, I used a different crop of blackberries, that I grew in my garden. I believe these are Natchez thornless blackberries, super-productive summer-bearing primo-canes that are self-pollinating yielding up to 20 lbs per season. Another twist was using 25% brown sugar for a deeper colour.  



 

Blackberries ripening in the California sun


Yummy 😋



Sharing with my friends in the garden


July 2024 update


2024 was a bonanza year for Blackberries

The final result was a very smooth satisfying liqueur

We had an unusually hot spell in July 2024 that stressed out the berry canes - and produced some of the juiciest sweetest berries ever resulting in a very smooth and satisfying 😋 liqueur 🍷


Reference 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/blackberry-liqueur-creme-de-mure


Location: Willowgate Community Gardens, Andsbury Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

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