Beech Leaf Noyau

Ingredients:

• 700ml Gin

• 200g Granulated sugar

• Young beech leaves (enough to fill a jar)

• 200ml brandy

Method:

Pack the leaves and sugar into a large jar.

Pour the gin over and put the lid on. Shake the jar to mix in the sugar. Shake once a day, for a few days, until the sugar remains dissolved.

After 3 weeks decant the gin and mix with the brandy. Pour into bottles, placing one of the beech leaves into each of the bottles.

While this can be drunk straight away, it is best kept for at least a month.

Sloe Gin

Ingredients:

• 350g Sloes

• 125g granulated sugar

• 700ml gin

Method:

Wash your fruit and pick out any leaves, twigs, or insects. Put the fruit into a Kilner jar and cover with the sugar. Pour over the gin and put the lid on. Shake the jar to mix in the sugar. Shake once a day, for a few days, until the sugar remains dissolved.

After 3 months decant into bottles through a funnel lined with a muslin cloth. Whilst you can drink this straight away, it does benefit from ageing for a year or more, if you can wait that long.