autumn ideas
wild ideas for... bonfire night
rosehip toddy
This warming cocktail is not only delicious, but actually rather healthy too. Rosehips are packed with Vitamin C and when they are made into a simple syrup can be taken daily to ward off winter bugs. Not only that, the syrup and its goodness can be drizzled into drinks, cakes and many more treats to add extra sweet, zingy flavour.
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Rosehips are plentiful at the moment, along hedgerows and in gardens. Why not try using them to make our Rosehip Toddy - the perfect drink to warm you up on a cold bonfire night. Omit the alcohol to make a tasty warm mocktail.
rosehip syrup
Makes half a litre of syrup
500g rosehips
1.5 lts water
500g caster sugar
juice of half a lemon
Wash and chop the rosehips in half. Bring half of the water to the boil in a pan. Add the rosehips. Return to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Once cool strain the liquid through a jelly bag or muslin/cheescloth suspended above a large bowl. Put the pulp back into the pan and repeat the process with the remaining water then strain as before.
Now combine all the rosehip water in the pan with the sugar and hard boil for about 10 minutes until you get a thick, syrup consistency. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and then pour into sterilized bottles.
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rosehip toddy
Makes one serving
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60ml of whisky or spirit of your choice
30 ml rosehip syrup
a squeeze of lemon juice
boiling water
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Pour the booze, Rosehip Syrup and Lemon Juice into a mug. Top with boiling water and stir. We garnished ours with a stick of cinnamon, a sprig of rosehips and a slice of lemon. If you would like to make a large batch, increase the ingredients accordingly and make over a hob of campfire in a pan.
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Enjoy!
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