Blackberry Liqueur - Test 2

1 - I made for jars of half-recipes with end-of-season berries on our first summer at Highgrove Farm. It's odd, reading other fall-related recipes I developed in the last few years, on the other farms we've been on, especially the first, where we thought we would grow old. If we are graced with the opportunity to stay on this property indefinitely, I hope to build more recipes with the food we grow here.

I made one jar with two cinnamon sticks in, another with bay leaves, and a third with fresh sage leaves, and the fourth is pure blackberry.

 - These were all very good.

2 - How interesting to read last years' sentiments. Since, I have come to understand that life is groundless, that we think we can find some sort of stability when this is all illusion. We're constantly in a state of free fall. Or 'falling' is the way we understand it, because if there is no ground, can we really say we're falling? If there is no ground, are we falling or flying or something in between, and the terror we feel is made-up, a story, because if there is no ground, there is no splat, so what is there to be afraid of?

24 oz OR 680 gr blackberries, fresh or frozen
16 oz OR 230 gr sugar

24 fl oz OR 750 ml vodka

OPTIONAL : Either 2 Tbsps mint, 1/4 cup basil, 1 Tbsp oregano, rosemary, sage, or thyme, 1 tsp tarragon, OR Bay leaves. 

1. In a large jar with a lid place the blackberries and then the sugar. Pour in the vodka and close the lid.
2. Shake several times the first few days until all the sugar has dissolved, then store in a cool, dark place for a minimum of one month (the longer it sits the more it mellows and improves). 
3. Shake every day or two. Keep for two weeks to two months.
4. When the liqueur is ready to be bottled, line a strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth, preferably butter muslin (finer than cheesecloth) and place it over a large pot or bowl. Pour the liquor over the cheesecloth slowly letting the liquid drain while the strainer catches the solids. Repeat if necessary, but do not press the fruit to try and get more juice! It will cloud your finished product and leave sediment to collect at the bottom. (The fruit can be used in baking, er, adult baking, as there will always be a trace of the liquor in the baked fruit).
5. When ready, store in bottles.