Strawberry Vodka

I've been making sloe gin every year for as long as I can remember - my Mum used to take us to pick sloes when we were children, so it's a family habit. Last week, we went to dinner with some friends who gave us a taste of their blackberry vodka. It was totally delicious and I'd made a mental note to make some next year.

Whilst doing the weekly shop this weekend, the supermarket had fresh strawberries reduced, as they were on their sell by date. This always gives me a dilemma if the reduced fruit or veg is out of season. Should I refuse to buy to discourage the supermarket from helping me rack up my food miles, or should I buy so they don't get thrown away? This particular 400g punnet was from Egypt. The memory of the blackberry vodka made me want to save them from the freegans so into the trolley they went.

I bought the cheapest 70cl bottle of vodka they had, and some fairtrade golden granulated sugar. At home, I followed the same method as sloe gin, but cutting the strawberries up into eighths rather than pricking each one with a darning needle(or was it a bodkin?!) (that was the family tradition for sloes - the needle gauge was very specific!). I filled a bottle up to halfway with the chopped strawberries, then poured in the sugar and shook it around a bit until the sugar reached about the same level of the strawberries. I then topped up with vodka, added half a vanilla pod (on a whim that strawberry and vanilla vodka sounded like a good combination), shook everything up by gently tipping the bottle up and down, then popped it into the bottom drawer to mature for several months.

To make two bottles, you will need:-

A 70cl and a 35cl bottle of cheap vodka

250g sugar

400g fresh ripe strawberries

1 vanilla pod, cut in half crossways

Give it a gentle shake every week or so. I'm expecting to have to strain it after it's matured, probably through a tea strainer will do, although if you want to get rid of any hint of rusticity, you'll want to strain it through something finer like muslin cloth. I'll keep you posted about how it turns out ...