To Raise the Spirits

I've made my blackberry cordial for this winter. Here in the beautiful and bountiful Pacific Northwest, we have blackberries growing in abundance everywhere.

Every year my friends and I go blackberry picking. We make pies, jam, and blackberry cordial, which won't be ready till around Christmas. After picking and washing the berries, we put them through a food mill which strains the seeds. Then we measure:

3 cups of good vodka (The Danish put out a nice vodka)
2 cups of berry juice/pulp
1 cup sugar

Mix well in a glass jar or tupperware container with an airtight lid. Be sure not to use metal. Once a week, stir or shake the container. It should be ready to strain in about 2-3 months. Use a cheesecloth and mesh strainer and decant into decorative bottles to give as gifts or keep it all to yourself! It gets better and better as time goes on!

The recipe works well for any berries, but since blackberries are free around here, that's what we usually use!