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Wild Booze Alchemy aka How to make Vermouth

As they say, “It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it”. So I guess the responsibility falls on me, again. After all, that booze won’t make its self will it? Usually I’m out and about foraging near me, but instead we found ourselves at this picnic table conveniently placed on the banks of a beautiful Hampshire trout river, will look pretty sad if I don’t cover it with all manner of weird and wonderful alcoholic and psychotropic concoctions and sit at it with a good friend getting drunk and talking wild plants, wild booze and various other nonsense. Actually, if you are interested to know how to make your own Vermouth and numerous variations on the theme, we do cover all the basics in this little film. And I hope that if nothing else it demonstrates that things like this can be fun. So long as you have done your plant ID correctly in the first place the process of assembling drinks like these doesn’t require any of the fascistic specifics and controls that aficionados of home brewing are so fond of. Basically it’s playtime for grownups. I hope you enjoy watching this unrehearsed, unedited and unorganised film, any and all feedback, as usual, is very welcome.

{ 4 comments… add one }
  • Nicola Ramsden October 5, 2017, 7:08 am

    I enjoyed watching this alchemical experiment with the river gently flowing in the background. I did post this question on the FB link – but I’m wondering if the individual tinctures have a short shelf life too, like the vermouth? I thought maybe I could start by making a few autumnal tinctures, keep them over the winter and then add the spring blossom tinctures later? But maybe I should just make an autumn vermouth, perhaps supplemented with tinctures from dried flowers etc?
    And the flower you added at the very end using the gadget, was it Himalayan Balsam? Got loads of that along the riversides, would be good to use it

    • John October 5, 2017, 10:28 am

      all the answers on the facebook post, thanks

  • Mark Williams October 16, 2018, 11:16 am

    How lovely to see you guys playing, chatting, sharing. Best double act since Laurel and Hardy! 😉 Even nicer to see you enjoying my vermouth. Presentation has never been my strong point, but I have occasionally frozen to precipitate solids, which makes for a clearer finished product. I wote this article for our friends on Islay, which covers most of what you chaps are chatting about here. https://www.bruichladdich.com/the-botanist-gin-news/foraged-gin-cocktails/foraged-vermouth/

    • John October 16, 2018, 8:30 pm

      We think of ourselves a mark williams tribute act….still unsure of the name though.

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