Blackberry Vinegar

Ingredients:
Blackberries (medium sized bowl full)
White wine vinegar (600ml)
Sugar (1 lb) 

Method: 
Place blackberries into a sealable jar.  I used a 1 litre Le Parfait preserve jar
Completely cover the blackberries with white wine vinegar and then add in a bit more
Seal the jar and leave in a cupboard for 2 weeks

After two weeks strain the blackberries from the vinegar - do not squash the fruit or the final vinegar may become cloudy.  First I just tipped the whole of the contents of the jar into a large sieve over a jug, then I strained the vinegar through a paper coffee filter
Place the vinegar in a pan add the sugar and bring to the boil
Boil gently for 15 minutes
Allow to cool before placing into sterilised bottles 

I started off using 12oz of sugar but when testing the vinegar I found it was not sweet enough, so I aded in another 4oz.  I have another batch on the go but this time I am using red wine vinegar.  I will use the same proportion of sugar to vinegar when I boil this up.  I didn't want to put too much sugar in at the start as I didn't want to turn this into a thick syrup. 

This recipe made 3 small bottles (they are single portion wine bottles).  There was a little bit extra left over which we used as a cordial with tonic water, and also added some to glasses of Prosecco.  

Some suggested uses for Blackberry Vinegar: 

• Drizzle on ice-cream or pancakes 
• Use as a cordial and dilute with soda, tonic or lemonade
• Add to a glass or Prosecco - place in the glass first to get a drink which is all pink, add after and it will sink to the bottom and give a sunrise effect
• Drizzle on salad leaves, or use with oil to make a vinaigrette dressing
• Add to a vodka and tonic 

Vinegar in first       Prosecco in first
before Prosecco       vinegar in last    

Thank you to my very kind neighbour who allows me to pick blackberries from his garden.