by Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown

Thanks to all of you who showed up to our London Cocktail Week 2014 session, Slow Drinks: Autumn Edition. By now you've probably deduced that we truly love harvest time and the fun of warming the cockles with a few easy treats. That's why we're providing these recipes again, so you can make your own harvest traditions for the upcoming holidays.

FRUIT BUTTER

1.8 kilos berries
1.7 litres water

Bring berries and water to a boil. Lower and simmer until fruit is soft. Push fruit through a fine sieve and weigh the sauce.

For every 450 gr of sauce, measure 250 gr sugar. Set aside. Return to the pan and reduce by 1/3. Add sugar and simmer until dissolved and thick. Store in sterile, sealed jars.

NEGRONI JELLY

900 ml favourite Negroni recipe
8 tablespoons liquid pectin (Certo)
900 gr caster sugar

Combine Negroni and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add pectin and dissolve. Return to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Process just like jelly in sealed jars set into a hot water bath for 5 minutes. (Don’t forget to sterilise them first.) Or pour into hollowed out orange halves and chill overnight.

HUNTING FLASKS


West Country Flask—Cover currants (red, black or white) with Irish whiskey and gin. Add a thumb of sliced fresh ginger and the peel from half an orange. Steep one week. Decant. (Sweeten if necessary after the fact.)

Blackberry Rum—Cover blackberries with aged rum. (We used Havana Club Especial.) Add a vanilla bean, split lengthwise. Steep one week. Decant.(Sweeten if necessary after the fact.)

SMOKED GIN


This recipe works for making a gin that makes a moreish Martini or one of the Hunting Shots:

Put two bottles of good gin or vodka into the freezer the night before. Load the barbecue with natural lump charcoal. Soak 1-2 cups of cherrywood chips in water.

When the coals are glowing, drain the chips and add half of them. Place the venison on the grill, plus a metal bowl of cold gin or vodka from the freezer. Cover. Close the top vents. Reduce the bottom vents to half to optimise smoke and reduce heat. Cook covered for 10 minutes, add more wood chips. Cook covered for another 15 minutes until the meat is done.
Remove meat and bowl of spirits from the grill.

THE HUNTING SERIES



Buckshot (smoked venison gin and venison stock or consommé)

Birdshot (smoked duck gin and chicken stock)

Sheepshot (smoked lamb gin and lamb stock)

GIN FRUIT


250gr dried figs
250gr dried prunes
250gr dried apricots
125 gr dried cherries (or blueberry/cherry)
125 gr raisins
2 teaspoons caster sugar
8 cloves
1 whole clementine peel cut into strips
1 cinnamon stick
700 ml Sipsmith Gin

In a large bowl, combine the dried fruit. Place in a Kilner jar. Add spices, sugar, and peel. Cover with gin. Steep for one week, but check spirit level every day. Add more if needed.

Replenish the gin in your fruit jar after every service. The fruit will stand steeping for 3 weeks before it needs to be replaced with fresh ingredients.


GINGER NUTS (KRUIDNOTEN)

200 gr self-rising flour
100 gr demerara sugar
100 gr butter
2-3 tbsp whole milk

4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice **
1/2 tsp baking soda
The finely grated zest of half an orange

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead into a ball (about 5 minutes). Cover the dough ball with cling film and set aside for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Cover a baking tray with baking parchment.

Wet your hands and roll tiny marble-sized balls of dough (12 mm). Place dough balls on the cookie sheet. Using your thumb, gently press down on each cookie to flatten slightly.


Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies puff up and turn a slightly darker shade of brown. Allow to cool.
Makes about 100 kruidnoten.

** Pumpkin pie spice:
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground ginger
pinches of:
ground white pepper
ground cardamom
ground coriander
ground fennel seeds
grated nutmeg



Have a wonderful holiday season! Cheers