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Rhubarb & Ginger Gin

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Having tried my Allotment neighbour’s, (Pam and Dave) version of Rhubarb Gin, I just had to make my own. Dave kindly forwarded the recipe, which they used from the internet. Wonderful thing about making this Gin, there are no special gadgets required, just a good locking jar, reason being, it allows you to shake the contents vigorously without worrying the contents will leak. 

As for the Rhubarb; I consider June to be the month from when to stop harvesting. On the allotment our Organic Rhubarb season starts in February until end of May. From June onwards these 6 to 7 months, allows the plants to put on growth for the following year. You could carry on harvesting until end of July, but I prefer not to.
So before the (my) season ends, on 29th May I picked several stalks, this being the last pick until February 2018, just to make Rhubarb Gin.

In my research, I noticed the Gin used in many recipes have an ABV (Alcohol by Volume) of no more than 37.5%.  I concluded the reason to be this:
With a fruit infused Gin you should be able to taste both the Fruit and Gin and not just Gin.

You could use a supermarket own brand or a named brand with low ABV (more than 20% but less than 38%). I have used a named brand, Greenall’s to infuse my Rhubarb with.

I used 5 large Rhubarb stalks (red parts as much as possible), 35cl of Gin, juice of 1 Lemon, granulated Sugar and a little frozen grated ginger, a piece 1cm cubed. This amount of rhubarb/gin mix will fit comfortably in a 1 litre Jar, with a tight fitted lid.

Wash and cut Rhubarb into small pieces (which should fit comfortably in your chosen jar). Place the pieces into a non reactive bowl, add the lemon juice and sugar. Give the contents of the bowl a good mix; cover and and allow to soak (I placed my bowl in the fridge). After 24 hours, give the contents another mix. Place the bowl back in a cool place for another 24 hours.

Place all the contents into a jar and store in a cool dark cupboard. Give the jar a good shake, weekly, for the next 3 weeks. This allows all the flavour and natural colour to seep into the Gin.

Strain the Rhubarb infused Gin into a Jug using a Muslin cloth, do not squeeze the cloth at the end, you want to achieve a clear liquid, allow to drip right until the end, and carefully lift the cloth away.

Bottle up with tight fitting lids. 
Enjoy over ice and Tonic water or with Ginger ale. Why not try it in a Cocktail.
Enjoy Responsibly

There are so many combinations for making flavoured Gin. You can also use, for example:

  • Apple and blackcurrants
  • Raspberries
  • Cucumber
  • Blackberries
I always seem to get a big harvest of organic Blackcurrants from my 2 small Blackcurrant bushes, apart from Blackcurrant Jam and Cordial, you know what I will be making very very soon.

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