Sluttishly Boozy: Blackberry Rum

I've been out and about picking what's left of the blackberries this morning and I'm feeling all virtuous as a result. Don't worry if you don't fancy yourself as much of a forager, the supermarkets all sell them and you can cheat and use bags of frozen ones too. If you do use the frozen ones though then just allow them to completely defrost first as there is often a lot of water that comes out and you don't want it diluting your booze.

If blackberries are a bit sparse on the bushes where you live then you can always use elderberries, which are abundant right now, to top them up with or I've been known to throw some fresh quartered figs in there too.

I like to use golden rum for this and I add the vanilla pod to bring out the caramel flavours in the booze. Brandy works really well too if you prefer or if you are more of a whisky hound then a light whisky would also be fab.

You'll need:

• 70cl golden rum
• 350g blackberries
• 1 split vanilla pod
• 100g caster sugar

Make it!

Put everything into a big Kilner style jar and mix well, make sure that the alcohol completely covers the fruit. Leave in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks, agitate it every now and then to mix and preferably leave it until Christmas, this will get better the longer you leave it. Taste after a couple of weeks and add more sugar if you think it needs it. Strain through a coffee filter to ensure a lovely clear booze then bottle it.