Blackcurrant Vinegar

Name: Blackcurrant Vinegar
Yield: Makes roughly 500 ml
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: a jelly bag, a sterilised bottle and a vinegar-proof lid; granulated sugar; roughly 500 g fresh blackcurrants (they don’t have to be topped and tailed); a good handful blackcurrant leaves; 300 ml cider or white vinegar

Preparation info

Makes roughly
500 ml

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

A Taste of the Highlands

By Ghillie Basan

Published 2021

About

Blackcurrants do well in my Highland garden at 1,600 feet above sea level on an exposed moor in the foothills of the Cairngorms. We freeze some for puddings throughout the year and make gin, jam, syrup and vinegar. A little drop of blackcurrant vinegar in dressings, sauces and marinades can add a lovely, purple, fruity touch.

Ingredients

roughly 500 g fresh blackcurrants (they don’t have to be topped and tailed)
a good handful blackcurrant leaves<

Method

Tip the blackcurrants and leaves into a bowl and pour the vinegar over them. Crush them with a fork or potato masher, cover and leave in a cool, dark place for 4–5 days.

Suspend a jelly bag over a bowl and tip the mixture into it. Leave it to drain for 6 hours, or overnight.

Measure the liquid and pour it into a saucepan. For each 300ml add roughly 200g sugar (more if you like i