GETTING SEASONABLY TIPSY

For the past two weeks, I’ve been picking blackberries like a grizzly bear (undiscerning and with thoughts of hibernation just around the corner). I am now the proud owner of oodles of shiny little berries, but am already ‘crumbled out’ for the season.

THEN, Jackie (someone I’m lucky enough to sit beside) suggested Blackberry Vodka. Genius. This is her bombproof recipe below - enjoy…

- Nada

Jackie’s Blackberry Vodka

Take a bottle of vodka. Empty half of the vodka into another bottle.

(Are you with me so far?)

Wash your blackberries.

Then poke in enough blackberries to take the level up to the three-quarter bottle mark. Do it by eye – there’s no failing with this recipe.

Then fill to the top with white sugar (a funnel will help).

Screw on the lid and gently tip the bottle so the 3 ingredients get to know each other.

Turn the bottle up and down now and then over the next 3 weeks.

Taste after 3 weeks and see if it’s sweet enough for you. If not, empty a bit out and add more sugar.

After about 4 weeks, if it all tastes nice and blackberry-ish, pour out the vodka into a jug using a sieve. Then bottle it.

If you have the patience, you can get out the boozy blackberries and serve them with ice cream.