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Fancy making a delicious homemade ginger and rhubarb gin? Then read on!
Gin has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence over the last few years hasn’t it?
Even some of the most staunch gin-haters seem to have had their heads’ turned by the weird and wonderful flavours that are coming onto the market.
There are new artisan distillers popping up, left right and centre, and gins are infused with everything from seaweed to ants.
Yep; you did read that right. Ants.
I’ve written many times before about my love of gin; everything from our gin bar, to my favourite gin-based cocktail.
But I’ve never had a go at making my own flavoured gin, before now.
I’ve left the ant’s nest alone, mind you.
My rhubarb ginger gin is flavoured with something a little more palatable.
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The Spoils of Summer
We’ve had a bumper crop of rhubarb again this year.
The high temperatures and lack of rain don’t seem to have made a jot of difference to my grandad’s old rhubarb plant and — if anything — we seem to have had more fruit than usual.
Generally, I’ll make my rhubarb cordial recipe a couple of times throughout the summer but, this year, there’s such an abundance of rosy stems, I thought I’d try my hand at making Homemade Rhubarb and Ginger Gin as well.
Now, I’d like to say that the ginger was homegrown too but I’d be lying! I used one of my favourite store-cupboard essentials; Opies Stem Ginger in Syrup.
It’s one of the most versatile things we have in the larder and we use it for all sorts of things — both sweet and savoury. It’s brilliant in cookies, stir fry, steamed pudding.
I’ve even used it to spice up a Hot Toddy. But, up until now, I’ve never used it in an alcoholic drink.
Rhubarb and ginger is such a classic combination — a match made in heaven — and combined with gin, it’s like heaven in a glass.
Homemade Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Recipe
You will need:
350g jar of Stem Ginger in Syrup
150ml water
6 ripe stalks of rhubarb
300g caster sugar
1 litre bottle of inexpensive gin (I used Gordons)
A muslin cloth for straining the liquid through
A little bit of patience
Method:
1. Wash the rhubarb and cut into little chunks.
2. Chop up all of the stem ginger balls into thirds and pop into a saucepan, followed by all of the the syrup from the ginger jar.
3. Add the rhubarb, the water and the sugar to the pan and stir together on a low heat.
4. When the sugar has dissolved and the rhubarb is beginning to soften, take off the heat and leave to cool.
The Next Step
5. Once cooled, pour the mixture into a sterilised Kilner jar or similar. We popped ours into the oven on a low heat, to sterilise them, but you can wash them in boiling water too and that will do the trick.
6. Pour the gin over the top of the ginger and rhubarb mix. Pop on the lid and leave to steep for one week.
After seven days, taste the mixture and if it’s gingery enough for your palate, remove the stem ginger from the jar and pop the lid back on.
This really is down to personal preference — I LOVE the heat of ginger so a week was perfect for me. It may be that you try it every couple of days until it reaches the flavour you like. Or add less to begin with…
7. This is where a good dose of patience comes in!!
It’s really hard not to just dig in and drink it all; but if you leave it alone for 4-6 weeks — for the rhubarb juices to mingle with the gin and ginger — it really is worth it.
8. I managed 4 weeks until I caved in and decanted it!
I passed it through a muslin cloth, into a jug. Once it’s passed through the cloth, the liquid is clear and rosy.
9. Finally, pour your Homemade Rhubarb and Ginger Gin into a pretty bottle.
10. Serve with tonic or soda water (or neat) with plenty of ice. And enjoy.
Et Voila! Homemade Rhubarb and Ginger Gin
The perfect tipple for festivals and summer parties; and a brilliant way of using up that jar of ginger you may have left over from Christmas!
Finally if you’re wondering what to do with rhubarb after making gin, I served ours like a compote over ice-cream (definitely very boozy and not one for the kids!).
I was asked recently, how long does homemade rhubarb gin last? And I can’t really answer that because ours has never had the chance to go off!!
It gets drunk very, very quickly!
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Homemade Rhubarb and Ginger Gin
This is the perfect way of using up a bumper crop of rhubarb! Homemade Rhubarb and Ginger Gin is a delicious spin on flavoured gin and is, oh so, simple to make!
Ingredients
- 350g jar of Stem Ginger in Syrup
- 150ml water
- 6 ripe stalks of rhubarb
- 300g caster sugar
- 1 litre bottle of inexpensive gin (I used Gordons)
- A muslin cloth for straining the liquid through
Instructions
- Wash the rhubarb and cut into little chunks.
- Chop up all of the stem ginger balls into thirds and pop into a saucepan. Followed by all of the the syrup from the ginger jar.
- Add the rhubarb, the water and the sugar to the pan and stir together on a low heat.
- When the sugar has dissolved and the rhubarb is beginning to soften, take off the heat and leave to cool.
- Once cooled, pour the mixture into a sterilised Kilner jar or similar.
We popped ours into the oven on a low heat, to sterilise them, but you can wash them in boiling water too and that will do the trick. - Pour the gin over the top of the ginger and rhubarb mix. Pop on the lid and leave to steep for one week.
- After seven days, taste the mixture and if it's gingery enough for your palate, remove the stem ginger from the jar and pop the lid back on. Leave it for longer, if you'd prefer it to be more gingery.
- Once you've removed the ginger, leave to steep for 4-6 weeks. It really is worth it, if you can wait that long! After the time is up, pass it through a muslin cloth, into a jug. Then decant your rosy liquid into a pretty bottle.
If you’re not a fan of ginger, you can make a simple rhubarb gin.
And if you’d like to make a delicious non-alcoholic drink, why not try my homemade rhubarb cordial recipe.
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Sounds gorgeous Caro.
Its LUSH!!!! Very happy with it — definitely better than stir fry, which is what we usually use the ginger for!!! ;)