Packed full of Vitamin C and loved by children. Dilute with water or soda for a refreshing drink.
Ingredients for Blackcurrant Syrup:
- 2 lb (900 g) blackcurrants
- 1 pint (570 ml) cold water
- 1 lb (450 g) sugar for each 1 pint (570 ml) of juice extracted
Method for Blackcurrant Syrup:
- Put the blackcurrants in a basin and crush with a potato masher. Stir in the water.
- Cover completely with a board and a tea-towel and leave until bubbles of gas form on the surface, showing the fruit has begun to ferment.
- Mash again, then strain through a jelly bag, squeezing to extract as much juice as possible.
- Measure the juice and add 1 lb (450 g) of sugar to each 1 pint (570 ml). Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour into hot sterilised bottles and sterilise.
Makes about 1½ pints (855 ml) of Blackcurrant Syrup.
Sterilising:
Syrups and squashes MUST be sterilised or they will ferment. This can be done in two ways.
Hot Sterilising Method:
Stand the filled bottles in a deep pan as for Fruit Bottling. Either keep at 77°C/170°F for 30 minutes or at simmering point 88°C/190° for 20 minutes. The water should cover screw-tops or reach corks, which must be tied down with string, strong cloth or wire.
Cold Sterilising Method:
Add 1 Campden Tablet dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water to each 1 pint (570 ml) liquid. These tablets are usually available in shops selling wine-making equipment or chemists. They may cause the colour to fade a little but does not affect the flavour.
After sterilising, tighten screw-tops and press in corks firmly. If using corks, leave to cool and dry, then dip the neck of the bottle into melted paraffin wax to make a completely air-tight seal. This should cover the cork and about ½ inch (1 cm) down the neck of the bottle. Paraffin wax is available from chemists. Melt the wax in a basin standing in a pan of hot water over a very low heat, do not let it get too hot or it may ignite.
Fruit Syrups, Squashes and Liqueurs
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