A fruit vodka recipe from Gravetye

This flavoured vodka, introduced to me by Gravetye Manor’s head gardener Tom Coward is the best I’ve ever tasted, because the flavour of the fruit is front and centre. Traditional recipes work by volume – one third alcohol, one third fruit and one third sugar. Tom’s does the same, the difference being that you don’t add the sugar until later, giving you the chance to taste as you add and stop at the point where the balance is just right for that particular fruit. This is a brilliant recipe to try if you only have a small amount of fruit to play with – just scale the quantities down accordingly. You could even make it in a jam jar. Once the vodka is ready, strain it, decant into bottles and keep it in the freezer.