How to Infuse Black Currants in Gin (5 Steps)

With a base flavor of juniper berries, undercurrents of lemon peels and a suspicion of fennel and anise, gin is one of the few liquors that pairs well with black currants. Tart, tannic black currants are no stranger to alcohol -- creme de cassis is the most prolific spirit you find them in -- but they rarely make their way into foods fresh because of their astringent bite. Alcohol in gin extracts the volatile oils and esters -- the compounds responsible for flavor and aroma -- of black currants without the tannic elements, so its taste marries and infuses smoothly.

Things You'll Need

Distilled or London gin
Glass canning jar
Fine-mesh sieve or mesh strainer

Funnel
Glass serving bottle

Instructions

Rinse the currants under cool running water and drain them on a kitchen towel. Pull the stems off of fresh black currants and poke each several times with a pin; if you are using dried black currants, chop them roughly.
Add equal parts currants and gin by volume to a glass canning jar. Leave about 1 inch of headspace.
Seal the jar with the lid and place it in a cupboard or other cool, dark area. Shake the jar of gin every day while it infuses.
Infuse the gin for 2 weeks. Taste the gin to see where the flavor stands, then taste it once a week until it develops the flavor you want. There isn't a time limit on how long you can infuse the gin.
Decant the gin slowly through a mesh strainer lined with a couple layers of cheesecloth and into the serving bottle. You can also serve the gin from the glass jar you infused it in Reserve the black currants for another use.

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