How to easily make Rhubarb & Elderflower Gin

So what’s happened with gin of late? It’s become the on-trend, must-have drink. Having become a recent convert I thought I’d have a go at making some flavoured gin.

Gin and I have never been friends. Up until a month ago I had only drunk gin once in my life, way back in my early twenties. It was at the end of a girls night out and a friend bought a round of gin (a strange night-cap I know but I wasn’t buying!). Quite a few alcoholic beverages had been partaken that night and unsurprisingly I was subsequently not being terribly well – of course this was 100% blamed on the gin and from there on I decided that it did not agree with me. So fast forward about 20 (yes 20!!) years to last month and when visiting a friend she told me all about the rhubarb gin that she had been making. It looked so good and smelt so delicious that I decided to give my (almost) lifetime gin-ban a reprieve and see how I got on. Unsurprisingly it was delicious and I have quite a few glasses of it and …… I was perfectly alright.

My friend’s rhubarb gin – convert! Complete with ice, tonic and star anise.

So ….. here I am born-again gin lover! It has quickly become my new favourite drink – who would have guessed!

I have had my own bottle of flavoured gin brewing for a couple of weeks and today it is complete. I decided to make rhubarb and elderflower.

Ingredients

Sterilised Kilner Jar
400g red stalk rhubarb (ends removed and chopped into 2.5-3cm chunks)
Dessert spoon of sugar
2 heads of elderflowers (washed)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Bottle of gin
Sterilised bottle for storing the flavoured gin (you will need this 2 weeks later)

Method

Preheat the oven to 120c. Wash the kilner jar in hot soapy water, then rinse to clear any remains of bubbles. Remove any rubber pieces from the jar. Place the kilner jar in the over and leave in there until the jar has fully dried. Once dried, pour in the bottle of gin, add the sugar and lemon juice, then add in the rhubarb and elderflowers.

Seal the lid and leave for approx. 2 weeks. Give it shake everyday. After 2 weeks, strain the liquid from the rhubarb and elderflowers. Pour the finished pink gin into your sterilised bottle. Enjoy.