Beardo Posted November 11, 2010 Report Share Posted November 11, 2010 Thought i'd try making something different.... 500g rose hips (washed, topped and tailed) 750ml boiling water 150g caster sugar 500ml vodka (in a 700ml bottle) muslin Roughly chop (or use a hand blender as i did, but watch for flying seeds!) the rose hips. Add to a large pan of 750ml boiling water, bring back to boil and hard boil for 5 mins. Remove from heat and let stand for 30mins. Use potato masher to mash the mixture then pour through double layer of muslin into a clean pan to filter. (i then tied the muslin closed and gave it a good squeeze to get all the juices out) Bring liquid back up to boil and reduce to a third (skimming/discarding any scum that floats to the top). Add the sugar and stir til dissolved. Allow to cool, then mix 50/50 with vodka and re-bottle. Should give you 700ml bottle full - can be drunk immediately, but tastes smoother if left for a couple of days. Colour will vary depending on what type of Rose hips you use - i had about 50% bright red ones, and 50% orangey. p.s. i didn't use Absolut to make it, far too nice - but the bottle looks better than Glen's Vodka! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted November 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 result - that tastes rather nice, wish i had more rosehips now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 I would have to agree, this is a fine distillation, I'd not tried (or even heard of) it before, but will be on the lookout for rosehips next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted November 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 should still be some about - they tend to last a lot longer than most fruits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigt1754 Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Looks good. Does the muslin take out all the hairs from inside the fruit? They can be dangerous if they get stuck in the wind pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted November 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 yeah the double layer muslin works a treat (i guess boiling it also removes any chance of released hairs) - was concerned about that (and blending with seeds in), but every recipe i've come across says just go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigt1754 Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Cheers Nick, Will be collecting some hips soon to go with the sloes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lez325 Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 (edited) None too keen on Vodka- will it work with other alchol Nick? ( I have 2 Litres of Sloe Gin on the go- just fancied something different :blink: :blink: Les Edited November 17, 2010 by Lez325 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Vodka is probably the cleanest taste, so therefore you can taste the rosehips and not an underlying flavour (unlike gin which gives an undercurrent). It may or may not work with gin/whisky - you'd have to try - easy to do though as you don't have to sit around for months maturing the flavour, just make up a small batch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 I wouldn't worry Lez as Nick says you don't taste much Vodka, I make Damson Vodka and the main taste is the fruit the Vodka is there just to make it interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 on the plus point didn't they used to use rose hips as a cold remedy? sounds like a perfect excuse to make some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Full of vitamin C, some vitamin A and B, essential fatty acids and antioxidant flavonoids. Apparently good for Rheumatoid Arthritis (Harnser please note) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lez325 Posted November 18, 2010 Report Share Posted November 18, 2010 I may just make a small batch- plenty of rose hips on the bushes here still Thanks guys Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted November 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 I've tweaked the recipe and dropped the sugar amount, as have now tried it sober Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted September 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Picked a load today. That batch I originally made tastes amazing now, far better with ageing, it's got a lovely deep butter scotch like flavour. Shame I've hardly got any left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Right, I'm going out looking for some this week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Sauce Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Looking forward to trying this one. One of the neighbours has a hedgerow full of rosehips. Unfortunately he's a bit of a tool, so under cover darkness it'll be then :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul99 Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) For some unknown reason I always believed rose hips to be poisonous . After reading this I'll be giving it a go shortly, I just got to go pick the hips that I spotted earlier this morning. I also spotted alot of Haws (more than I can remember seeing this time last year) - which got me wondering if anyone has made hawthorne gin or similar and was it worth it? Edited September 12, 2011 by paul99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul99 Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Well my rosehip vodka is done :-). It didn't quite go entirely to plan / recipe - I found that I needed to add about three times as much water to be able to squeeze the juice from the boiled mash - without it it was more like a jam that thickened even more as it cooled - I'd still be there now trying to squeeze it through the muslin. Anyway after a bit of messing I eventually ended up with a likely looking syrup that went on to make the drink. Obviously I had to sample it straight away and was very surprised at the taste - not at all what I expected but certainly very pleasant - as already suggested butterscotch kind of describes it to some extent. I'm looking forward to trying it again in a few days. I wasn't nearly as impressed with a gin version though but I'm no fan of gin and the rosehips are not a strong enough flavour to mask it IMO, it's a good job I only mixed a shot glass sample to try. Thanks for the recipe and the suggestion to try it - this will make a nice alternative to sloe gin and blackberry brandy for this season... Edited September 13, 2011 by paul99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Sauce Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Found half a dozen bushes laden with hips, on the cycle to work. Only snag, their along a main road, should I or shouldn't I pick them?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Found half a dozen bushes laden with hips, on the cycle to work. Only snag, their along a main road, should I or shouldn't I pick them?? Not only as main road, a main road near Port Talbot, land of the 3-headed fish. I'll have a look today if I can, I'm going sloe hunting later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Sauce Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Ah a sound point... With Chernobyl buring in the back ground, safer to find some in the fresher sweeter air of the Gower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'd avoid as they'll be heavy with contaminants. Quiet country lanes are ok, but steer clear of main roads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Found a load gone over already today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Sauce Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 Result, found several heavily laden bushes in the school playing field behind the house. Vodka being purchased today. Should be ready in time for the weekends 'get smashedathon' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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