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Nordic and hygge recipes, foraging and wild food

Foraged damson spiced vodka liqueur

By August 7, 2025No Comments

Late summer and early autumn are the perfect seasons for foraging! I always think damsons are the perfect fruit for collecting, as not only are there no nasty spiky branches, they are much larger than sloes so your basket fills up much more quickly. A glorious shade of deep purple and blue, they often have a white dusty bloom and taste fairly tart if eaten raw; soaked for a few months with sugar and spices they take on a deep mellow flavour. Their skins are quite tough, so rather than spend an evening pricking them with a needle, pop them in the freezer overnight to split the fruit.

Make a few bottles now, pop them in a dark cupboard and they’ll be ready to give away during the festive season as a delicious after dinner liqueur or a lovely addtion to soda or prosecco; however if you have the patience, leave the vodka for a year and it will be even better!

how-to-make-spiced-damson-vodka-liqueur Foraged damson spiced vodka liqueur

Ingredients

1 litre of vodka (aim for middle of the range, not too cheap, not too fancy)

500g damsons 

200g light brown sugar

5 cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

A vanilla pod, split in half with a sharp knife

how-to-make-spiced-damson-vodka-liqueur-2 Foraged damson spiced vodka liqueur
  1. Prepare the damsons as you fancy, either by freezing or pricking with a clean needle; I often just pick them here and there then freeze, making a new batch of vodka every time I reach the magic 500g mark.
  2. Place the damsons in a large kilner jar, then add the vodka, sugar and spices before shaking well.
  3. Leave the jar by the kettle for five days; every time you make a cup of tea, give the jar a gentle shake to help the sugar dissolve.
  4. On the sixth day, fish out the cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod with a clean fork, then put the jar away in a dark cupboard for at least three months… but twelve is better!
  5. Strain the vodka through a coffee filter or fine muslin then decant into pretty bottles (it might take overnight for the liquid to drip through a coffee filter but the result will be a beautifully clear berry colour). The left-over infused damsons can be stoned and added to fruit crumbles, chopped and served with good quality ice cream or mixed with melted dark chocolate to make boozy little petit fours.