Guest Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Kate, we've just opened the crabapple brandy you sent me ages ago and it's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice! We recently planted a crabapple in our garden and it's got a lot of fruit on it, see... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3056999&l=8e915761ed&id=568396756 so, I take back what I said about not liking brandy, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease can I have the recipe, can I, can I, can I, please, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 OK, I will divulge my secrets as you liked it so much . It's basically the same method as you'd use for sloe gin or any of the fruity boozes and there is no need for any accurate measurements as each batch turns out slightly different anyway. Whatever fruit we have leftover gets a boozy treatment of some kind . Get a large glass lidded jar. Wash and chop your crab apples in half. You're looking to half fill the jar with them. Add 8oz sugar and top up the jar right to the top with Brandy - cheap brandy will do nicely. Put the jar in a cool dark place (I don't follow my own advice and keep mine on top of the fridge/freezer ), shake jar daily for a fornight then leave it for as long as you can bear with the crab apples steeping in the brandy. When you're ready to bottle it, strain it first through a plastic sieve then through butter muslin/old pillowcase/old napkin into clean/sterilised bottles. Then sit back and enjoy.................. . Your crab apple tree looks lovely! We planted one when we moved in here 15 years ago and it's a beautiful tree now, absolutely plastered with crab apples! Is yours Malus "John Downie"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 YAY! I have THREE crab apple trees in my garden so get LOTS of crabapples. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Now, stoopid question of the day - When do Crabapples ripen ready for use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 If you cut one in half and the pips are brown, they are ripe . Mine are usually ready round about September. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 If you cut one in half and the pips are brown, they are ripe . Mine are usually ready round about September. Wow, a lovely easy way to check. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 A few unripe ones won't hurt the resulting booze either . I let my crab apples steep in brandy for a whole year if I can as the flavour is so much better. I do the same with sloes in vodka/gin so we never get to drink a batch until the following year but boy, is it worth the wait . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 it's so smooth and fruity. I don't like brandy as it takes your breath away and burns on the way down, do you know what I mean? But your liquer is soooooooooo smooth, it goes down a treat! I'll definitely be making some and I'll do my best to leave it for a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I know just what you mean as I can't drink neat brandy either. I don't like spirits at all, really. It's the leaving part which makes it so smooth as well as the addition of the sugar . You can use this recipe with raspberries too and the resulting raspberry brandy is just fabulous and smells so fruity and scrumptious! Blackberry Brandy is fab too........in fact most fruits + alcohol are completely drinkable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 p.s. Kate the variety we have is 'Pink Glow', supposedly ideal for jelly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 do you think this would count as one of your 5 a day sounds yummy - I may need to purchase a crabapple tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Oh I think it should, Cathy . I'd certainly try having some as part of your 5-a-day anyway . Poet, your jelly should be lovely too . If we had more room, I'd love another crab apple tree as they are so pretty when in flower and laden with fruit but ours makes enough apples to make jelly and booze already . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henny penny Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Can you use whisky. Every year we get given whisky at christmas which we are not keen on and following this thread wondered whether i could use some up this way? has any one tried it? I have rhubarb schnapps on the go at the moment. last year I made damson gin but coz i left it for ayear without straining it I thought it wouldnt be drinkable so binned it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Henny, I would give the whiskey a go if you dont like it anyway, you arent missing anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I haven't tried using whiskey as neither of us like it and put the bottles LSH gets given into the charity raffle at the golf club instead but I really don't see why it won't work. I'll see if I can find some boozy recipes for whiskey too if you like. I have lots of books which have this kind of thing in and there's bound to be some way to use up the whiskey or make it more palatable anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I had another 2 (shot) glasses of your CA brandy last night. I have about 1 glass left! What am I going to do until ours is ready? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 make some toffee vodka I put 2 packets of te$co value toffees into a kilner jar I added a 75cl bottle of value vodka I gave it a good shake (the toffee started to dissolve rather quickly) I left it for about a week and all of the toffees had disolved you end up with a baileys type consistency drink rather drinkable (but you wouldnt want lots of it - rather sickly after a couple ) try it, its interesting to watch it go cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I think I did Crabapple Vodka last year It must have been nice - there is none left We use the cheapest Tesco value spirits & they work really well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 make some toffee vodka I put 2 packets of te$co value toffees into a kilner jar I added a 75cl bottle of value vodka I gave it a good shake (the toffee started to dissolve rather quickly) I left it for about a week and all of the toffees had disolved you end up with a baileys type consistency drink rather drinkable (but you wouldnt want lots of it - rather sickly after a couple ) try it, its interesting to watch it go cathy x Would this work with Whiskey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 had toffee vodka before, wasn't keen bought some brandy today (£8.79 for 70cl in Aldi) to start my CA brandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 That's reminded me to stock up on Brandy and Vodka, Poet. I've got plums ripening on the tree in the garden too and want to get some of those bottled up with brandy for puds . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 right, mine is underway! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3231742&l=f68020d29d&id=568396756 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Can't wait to hear what it is like! I checked my Crab apples yesterday, pips still red so not ready yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Can't wait to hear what it is like! I checked my Crab apples yesterday, pips still red so not ready yet. kate's was a 2007 vintage and was devine. If I leave mine that long, you'll have a bit of a wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Can someone send a slurp my way please? Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Can't wait to hear what it is like! I checked my Crab apples yesterday, pips still red so not ready yet. kate's was a 2007 vintage and was devine. If I leave mine that long, you'll have a bit of a wait It definitely improves with age . I have some sloe vodka which must be 5 years old at the back of the cupboard and that is going to be cracking stuff. Despite my reputation as the biggest forum boozer, I give more away than I drink so I have quite a lot of vintage stuff lurking . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
