Ideas for drinks that aren't fermented?

[Winged one]

I don't have any brewing/fermenting kit. At present (as I keep muttering about borrowing my dad's - he never uses it anymore).

I made the quickie version of limoncello before (the 4 hours in the freezer one), which was divine!! And I currently have a couple of small bottles of vanilla vodka in the drinks cupboard maturing - should be interesting.

I'd like to make some nice liquer type drinks for winter (and especially Christmas).

I don't think I'll be able to get sloes (the only place I know where they are is very public so unlikely they'll still be there when I get back there).

I may manage to get some damsons if I get down to MIL's for a weekend at the right time (but we're too exhausted to travel this weekend and probably next as well).

There are elderberries on the path in our plot (little woods between the 3 fields), and some (very few) blackberries there too. I'd also get lots of blackberries if we went down to MIL/my mum.

I can buy raspberries still. And I am going to make PigletWillie's version of lemoncello (but probably not in industrial quantities as I don't have a demijohn).

Has anyone any ideas for what I could make - combinations of ingredients, amounts of liquor (and should it be gin/vodka/something else?). And what the resultant potions should be served with/as -mixed with wine/sparkling water/coke etc, poured over icecream, used to help coughs, after dinner liquer on their own??

[smallblueplanet]

Last year as well as sloe gin we made raspberry gin, raspberry brandy, blackberry brandy and with the extracted fruit (post making) we did the same again but with sherry...

So we used the sloe gin recipe for the fruit spirits but adjusted the amount of sugar to taste, we then decanted the spirit and added the same quantity of amontillado sherry and some sugar onto the fruit.

Here's the link Quark1 posted to a fruit schnapps site, lots of stuff made with vodka/gin.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...pes_21517.html

I think there have been some brave folk on here who have made chilli vodka too!

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...odka_2328.html

[BrideXIII]

Chilli vodka rocks!!!

I have had to stop making it as it's so moorish I couldn't stay sober long enough to plant off new chillies.

[roitelet]

How about 'Quarante Quart'?

44 Coffee Beans
44 small cubes of sugar
1 orange well spiked
1 vanilla pod
1ltr Calvados

Put it all in a jar and shake daily until the sugar has disolved then hide well for at least 44days. It's really ummie but besht taken in shmall quisn, oh heck ,glashes. Hic !!!!

[BrideXIII]

How about 'Quarante Quart'?

44 Coffee Beans
44 small cubes of sugar
1 orange well spiked
1 vanilla pod
1ltr Calvados

Put it all in a jar and shake daily until the sugar has disolved then hide well for at least 44days. It's really ummie but besht taken in shmall quisn, oh heck ,glashes. Hic !!!!

wow, that sounds lovely, might try that for a xmas day treat.

[Winged one]

OK - plans for a trip to the local store for large kilner jars is beckoning!! They sound yummy - I like the idea of the 44 (I even got a free sample of unground coffee beans last week and don't have a grinder, guess I know what to do with them now!!!).

And some of the other ones sound great too. How hot is the chilli vodka - is it spicy or just warming? Elderberry schnapps sounds great too. I think I'll be doing a lot of infusing over the next few weeks!!