Sharen’s Rhubarb Schnapps Recipe

As my mate Sharen says, the hardest part about this recipe is waiting six weeks before you can drink the Schnapps. You can use cheap vodka but I’d suggest using organic or homegrown rhubarb, as it is always vastly superior to the conventional stuff.

Ingredients

• Approximately 1kg rhubarb, trimmed and chopped to about 600g
• 300g caster sugar
• 1 litre vodka (have two bottles on hand, in case you need more)
• 2 x 1 litre jars
• 1 x 1 litre bottle (you have six weeks to sort this out)

Chop the rhubarb and divide it evenly between the two jars. Add 150g sugar to each jar, put the lids on and give the rhubarb and sugar mix a good shake. Add 500ml vodka to each jar and shake again. The mixture should look something like this:

Now, the hard bit. Store in a cool, dark place for six weeks (the recipe says up to six months but, really, I don’t think so). For the first month, shake the jars gently every other day. Within a day or so, the vodka will take on a beautiful pinkish-red glow, calling to you, tempting you …

Once the wait is up, strain the Schnapps into a jug and pour it into your litre bottle. And there you have it – Rhubarb Schnapps. As with vodka in general, keep the Schnapps in the freezer, bringing it out for special occasions (when I’ve bottled up, I’ll post a picture here).

Rhubarb: There are countless good reasons to grow rhubarb in your garden, not least the possibility of an endless supply of Rhubarb Schnapps.