Creme De Cassis Or Creme De Mures Recipes

Steps:

• Cut and mash the black-current berries and place them in a bottle filled to the top with the alcohol. Let sit 3 months. (Black currents can be bought in July, so, leave until October). In October put the current and alcohol mix into a large pan and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn it off. Now filter the current alcohol/juice to remove the berry bits. For about every Liter of strained current alcohol/juice you'll add about 3-4 cups of sugar and another cup of eau-de-vie (or vodka). Combine this all in a sauce pan and warm until the sugar dissolves. Then put into jars and let sit. You could drink the creme de cassis (blackcurrent) now...but... the longer it ages the better it gets. For blackberries you crush the berries and put in the eau-de-vie for 24 hours: 1/2 L alcohol per 500 grams of blackberries. Then strain to remove the blackberries, keep them and the alcohol. Take the fruit and now put them in 1/4 L water for 24 hours. Again strain out the fruit. Now mix the blackberry water and the sugar (350 grams of sugar to 1/4 L of blackberry water). Now mix the sugar/blackberry-water and alcohol all together. Filter and put it in bottles. It's ready to drink, though letting it age a bit only makes it better.

Steps:

• Pick over the blackberries and remove any stalks or leaves. Tip into a large ceramic or glass bowl and pour over the wine. Use a potato masher to crush the fruit into the wine. Cover with a tea towel and leave to macerate in a cool place for 2 days, mashing occasionally.
• Pour the mixture through a plastic sieve, then pass again through the sieve or a colander lined with a square of muslin to remove any bits. 3 Tip the juice into a pan and add the sugar. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 5 mins. Leave to cool, then stir in the vodka or gin. Using a small jug, pour into 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.