Over the weekend, I had time to do a bit of gentle pruning on the Myrtle (Myrtus communis) bushes at the front and also got round to harvesting another batch of ripe berries before they started falling off naturally. Rather than making another myrtle gin, I decided to try a myrtle vodka instead; with the strong spices, the berries and the high sugar content, I’m not sure how much the juniper and other botanicals of gin really get a chance to shine through.

I’ll find out in a while although I did have to top up my steeping bottle with a little gin as the vodka ran out! I’m using a different bottle this time, with a better fitting cap, which is good for shaking. I’ve also toned down the amount of sugar – only about half the weight of the berries although, with this kind of recipe, it isn’t too much about precision.

As an aside, my Fly Me to the Moon brew seems to be ticking along nicely. It reached 22.4°C under the power of the yeast but is now dropping back to be held at 17°C rather than rocketing up to form a shark’s fin curve like the Shark Fin Bass.