How to Make Homemade Rhubarb and Orange Gin

Rhubarb can be a tricky vegetable to know what to do with. It's sharp, tangy flavour is often muted by oodles of sugar in a crumble and even then, it can be too sharp for some delicate palates. But by combining it with the citrus sweetness of orange in this rhubarb and orange gin, I think the vegetable has at last found it's partner in crime.

I had had a bag of rhubarb in my freezer for some time, waiting for my decision on what to use it for. I didn't have enough in weight to make a wine, but it also felt a bit if a cop out to make a dessert - in which case, I then would have had to much of the stuff.

In the end, I took it to Facebook: rhubarb and ginger jam or rhubarb and orange gin. And, of course, the latter prevailed.

I used the rhubarb frozen straight from the freezer as I knew it would defrost during the cooking process anyway. And the extra water has not had a detrimental effect on the flavour. If anything, it's actually just increased the volume of the finished product. Of course, if you would rather use fresh rhubarb, then that will work just as well.

Ingredients:

700g frozen/fresh rhubarb

500ml gin

2 tbsp orange liqueur (e.g. Cointreau)

85g brown sugar

zest of 1 orange

Equipment:

Saucepan

1 Litre jar/flask with tight-fitting lid

Muslin, pegs and bowl for straining

A funnel will also be useful

How To Make It

1. Heat the rhubarb and the liqueur in a saucepan until the rhubarb has defrosted and the mixture is simmering. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.

2. Set aside the mixture to cool. Once cooled, add it and the rest of the ingredients to a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. I'm a big fan of Kilner's clip top jars as you can still reach in to give it a stir without struggling and can be assured of a good seal.

3. Seal the jar, shake to mix and leave in a cool, dark place for about a month or so. Feel free every so often to give the jar a shake to encourage the sugar to dissolve.

I wholly acknowledge that, while infusing, the gin does not look particularly appealing, as the rhubarb colour can fade depending on it's initial ripeness and it will become thin and stringy in the jar. Please don't let this put you off though, as you can see from my pictures that the finished product is such a delectable summery orange.

4. At the end of the infusing time, strain through a plastic sieve, and then again through a muslin or piece of kitchen towel and decant into a bottle. If you are concerned about aesthetics and want to it to be as clear as possible, you can also strain it a further time through a coffee filter, however this takes patience so it is up to you whether or not you believe the effort is warranted.

I do hope you try out this recipe. It is so simple to make and the result is a real flavour sensation.