…how Ribena should taste!
Was delighted with last year’s “experiment” to make liqueurs – and the Creme de Cassis was the best of the lot! The recipe takes a couple of days to complete but it isn’t time consuming.
The recipe is from the Channel 4 series, River Cottage to the Core (http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/blackcurrant-liqueur/)
Prep time – At least 24 hours
Cook Time – 3 hours
Servings – Makes 1 litre
Ingredients
- 500g blackcurrants, stripped from their stalks
- 500ml fruity red wine, such as Beaujolais or Tarrango
- About 500g granulated sugar
- About 300ml vodka
Directions
Combine the blackcurrants and wine in a glass or ceramic bowl and leave to macerate for at least 24 hours (and up to 48).
Purée the blackcurrants and wine in a food processor, then tip into a sieve lined with muslin or a clean cloth and leave to drip for several hours, then squeeze out the last of the juice by twisting the edges of the cloth together with your hands.
Measure the juice into a large saucepan. For every 100ml juice, add 60g sugar.
Heat gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves.
Cook the syrup at the lowest possible temperature ie below simmering. Cook it like this for about 2 hours, skimming off any scum that forms. It will reduce slightly and become a little more syrupy. Leave it to cool completely.
Sterilise your bottles, and their lids or caps, by washing in very hot, soapy water, rinse well and then putting them on a tray in a low oven (at 120 C/Gas 1⁄2) for 20 minutes to dry out. Leave to cool.
Measure the cooled syrup, then stir in one part vodka to three parts syrup.
Decant into the cold, sterilised bottles.
Store for at least 2 weeks before drinking.