Damson gin
Damson gin is a liqueur, usually homemade, made by steeping damson plums in gin with sugar for eight weeks or more, then straining it.[1] Vodka is sometimes used in place of the gin.
Damson gin is especially popular in Britain. Depending on the variety, damsons are picked from August to late September.[2][3] The liqueur can be used as a Christmas treat.
Averell Damson Gin is produced by the American Gin Co. and is an American take on the beverage.[4] Rather than steeping the damson plums in gin, Averell is made by combining the fresh juice of the fruit with gin and sugar.
History
[edit]Damsons were used to make "damson brandy" in the 18th century.[5] Recipes for damson gin appear in British household cookery books by the early 20th century, including S. Beaty-Pownall's Pickles and Preserves, one of the "Queen" Cookery Books (1902)[1] and Mrs C. S. Peel's Still Room Cookery (1905).[6] The 1902 book says that sloe gin "is made in precisely the same way as damson gin".[1] The Café Royal Cocktail Book (1937)[7] describes damson gin as "an English liqueur, dark red colour".
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Beaty-Pownall, S. (1902). Pickles and Preserves. The "Queen" Cookery Books. London: Horace Cox. pp. 62–63.
- ↑ "Damson, Blue Violet". National Fruit Collection. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
Picking time: Early-Mid August
- ↑ "Damson, Merryweather". National Fruit Collection. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
Picking time: Late September
- ↑ Teacher, Matthew (2014). The spirit of gin: a stirring miscellany of the new gin revival. Kennebunnkport, Maine: Cider Mill Press Book Publishers. p. 98. ISBN 9781604334623.
- ↑ Rolt, Richard (1756). "Damsin, or Damson". A New Dictionary of Trade and Commerce. London: T. Osborne and J. Shipton.
- ↑ Peel, C. S. (1905). Still Room Cookery: Recipes Old and New. London: Archibald Constable. p. 55.
- ↑ Tarling, W. J. (1937). Café Royal Cocktail Book. London: Pall Mall. Glossary, "Damson Gin".