Description
This is an original The Usual Saucepans recipe, concocted from a number of things found online and a little bit of gin loving know-how. It makes about 800ml. I use Gordon’s as my base gin, but of course you can use whatever you like – but bear in mind that using one that tastes like paint stripper before you use will end up as mulled paint stripper.
Ingredients
- 70cl bottle of gin
- 100g caster sugar
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp ground all spice
- Rind of 1/2 orange
- 1 tsp orange juice
Instructions
Take a large preserving jar (I have a 1 litre clip-top one) and to it add the sugar, spices – I snap my cinnamon stick into a couple of pieces at this point – and orange rind and juice. Crack open the bottle of gin and pour it in, taking time to appreciate that wonderful glugging noise as you go.
Stir it all up – I use chop sticks, for no good reason – and then close the jar, then shake and swirl until the sugar dissolves. Put the jar in a cupboard and leave it there for ten days to a week, remembering to swirl it every day. It should turn a wonderful bronze colour.
When you’re ready to bottle, sterilise the glass bottle in the oven and drain the contents of your jar through a piece of muslin (or kitchen roll in a sieve!) and then pour it into the bottle, and a little into a glass, because it’s Christmas and you deserve a treat.
Serve with ice, tonic and good company.