Taste of Summer - Dandelion Wine & Gorse Flower Liqueur

Gorse flower liqueur

Always pick flowers when fully open on a dry day & leave some behind for the bees. Especially gorse as it is one of the only flowers blooming in early spring.

Method:

• 2 tablespoons of almonds blanched, skinned and chopped
• Gorse flowers, loosely fill empty bottle (empty gin/vodka bottle)
• 1 bottle vodka/gin or home-brew

Fill bottle with gorse flowers, almonds and fill with vodka(or alcohol of choice) one inch from top.Leave infuse 2-3 weeks in dark place.
Strain and press out liquid left in flowers into a jug.
Make simple syrup,
Boil 100g granulated sugar, 100g water and allow to cool.
Add syrup to infused alcohol and bottle.

Dandelion wine

• Activated yeast
• 13 loosely filled pint glasses of dandelion flowers(remove all stalks)
• 5 litres of water
• 250g chopped sultanas/raisins
• Two oranges & one lemon
• 1.5kg granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cold tea

Put flowers in large bucket and pour in 2.5 litres boiling water.Cover and leave for 2 days in dark place, stirring once each day.
On third day pour contents of bucket into large saucepan.
Add rind if oranges, lemon(no pith) and sugar.
Boil gently for 30 mins.
Put raisins/sultanas, the juice of oranges and lemon into (fermenting) bucket.
Pour boiling contents from saucepan and 2.5 litres of cold water into bucket.
Cover and leave cool until 20 degrees.
Add cold tea & activated yeast then stir
Loosely cover bucket with lid and leave in a warm place for 3 days(low/mid 20 degrees)
Strain liquid into fermentation jar and leave for a few weeks until bubbles have stopped.
Taste and bottle(add sweetener to taste if necessary preferably stevia)