Top Tips

Damson Gin
Equipment
- 2 litre sterilised jar or lidded container
Ingredients
- 1 kg damsons see tips
- 250 g caster sugar
- 1 litre gin
Instructions
- Clean out your chosen container and put the sugar in the bottom.
- Add your prepared damsons then pour in the gin.
- Give it a shake to mix the sugar in and then agitate it every day until all the sugar had dissolved. Then just agitate it every so often leaving it for at least three months.
- After three months it is worth giving it a taste to see how it’s getting on. If it’s how you like it, drain the gin off and see notes below.
Notes

I am sure the leftover berries will make a great dessert or sauce to go with meat. When I lived in Europe, we use to go foraging all Autumn long for berries, mushrooms, and anything that comes along. I love damson as they are, it’s tartness. Mmm, I wish I had some now… 🙂
this gin in wonderful. With those beautiful looking berries it is going to taste very good. You are turning into an expert now. Well done.
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I know a few folks who would just LOVE this!!
When I’m out and about searching for food what scares me are not wasps or spiders, but snakes and rats! I always wear wellington boots (even when it is very hot)…just in case. Love these damson preserved in gin!
I am really envious and wish I could be out there picking fresh berries! Look forward to all the lovely bakes you’ll be making with them.
I love foraging if I’m honest. we just moved to our new house, and the woman next year hasn’t trimmed her garden back for over 10 years. There’s massive blackberry bushes hanging over our fence, we’ve been picking them off before we chop them up! I love it, remind me of picking with my Nan for her jam making sessions. Love this post!!
I am not sure what is damson but I am attracted to it.
First time I have heard of Danson berries but I look forward to how you use them, they look wow 😀
Cheers
CCU
i’ve never even heard of a danson berry before, but this looks and sounds absolutely awesome!
I’d love to try this gin, and the infusion of berries, awesome!
Thanks for the reminder. I have no Damsons, but I’ll be out there soon foraging for Sloes with which to make Sloe Gin. I won’t be using Gordons’ though – just the cheapo supermarket Own Brand stuff!
Oh for some wild damsons to forage. I’ve never made damson gin, although I do regularly make sloe gin. Not this year though. Fruit has done really badly in this part of the world. Although the gin can be drunk after 3 months, I find it is much better after a year or more, if you can bare to keep it that long.
How I miss the start of the late summer/early autumn foraging season! I also miss being able to buy gin easily (and to be able to afford it!) Your post made me miss the UK…..wonderfully written!
I think when it comes to damsons, the closest I’ve got to taste them is with a pot of jam so this is a really useful “how to” post. Really informative
What a timely post. I got some damsons the other day but didn’t have time to do anything with them so popped them in the freezer. Now I can make some delicious Damson Gin-cheers!
Damson gin is the Rolls Royce of flavoured gins. Ready in time for Christmas it makes a wonderful present (fancy bottles and labels can be bought on-line) and, mixed with tonic, the colour is extraordinary. I am lucky enough to have a thorn covered Damson tree in my garden… and now is the time to pick them, methinks. Don’t add all the sugar at once… you can always add more later over the three months before Christmas. And testing the sweetness of each batch can be a fun experience.
smile
DD
If you don’t have any damsons you can add more gin to the already realy nice gin please do not stir or shake this is ready to serve on its own or with a bacon butty..
I just picked 7 kgs of damsons yesterday from at the bottom of our drive 🙂