Fun in the Forest – A day of foraging for cocktail ingredients with Caorunn

It’s not every Wednesday that one finds themselves in the shady midsts of Epping Forest, sun dappling through the leaves as a rugged Northerner details the culinary merits of various plants that might, hopefully, be used for boozy purposes.

But then today isn’t a normal Wednesday – it’s a midweek trip courtesy of Caorunn gin, in order to learn about what tastes good, what can be cooked, what can never be touched – and what goes nicely in cocktails, naturally.

For those not yet acquainted with Caorunn, then let us make the necessary introductions. This is a premium gin hand-crafted in the Scottish Highlands, created in Speyside and embracing both rustic country charm and the cosmopolitan sophistication of modern Scotland. Plus the gin is quadruple distilled for that smooth finish, so you can taste the quality with each sip.

Now, purists may baulk at this (many believing that London is gin’s one true home) but hold on there. Caorunn makes the most of its rural roots, and the essence of this spirit is the Celtic botanical rowan berry (in fact, Caorunn – pronounced Ka-roon, FYI) is the Gaelic word for this plant.

So why the foraging? Well, apart from the standard six gin botanicals, there are five locally sourced botanicals in Caorunn (indicted by the points of the star on the bottom of their beautiful bottle). As well as Rowan Berry, expect to find Bog Myrtle, Dandelion, Heather and Coul Blush Apple. Plus, foraging is growing in popularity for those who want to rediscover local ingredients for bespoke drinks.

So here we are, gaining inspiration for our coming masterclass by learning all about the woodland. We are shown elderflower (great for champagne), are told when is best to pick sloe berries for the best gin (early!), and hear how sap can be tapped from trees and turned into a thick, boozy liquid… and then it’s on to creating those cocktails!

South Place Hotel is the location for our masterclass, which is where we get to try two rather divine drinks. The Lemon Balm Sparkle is fizzy, flirty, and refreshing, while the Green Nettle Sour is made both rich and silky with the egg white, and has a punchy edge from lemon.

And, since at Social and Cocktail we like to share our mixology knowledge, then the recipe for The Lemon Balm Sparkle is below – so get experimenting with your own Caorunn cocktails!

 

Ingredients:

15ml lemon balm cordial*

25ml Caorunn Gin

75ml sparkling wine (Nye Timber is a good option, or a good quality Champagne)

 

*Lemon balm cordial

750ml water

375g caster sugar

20g citric acid (can be purchased on Amazon)

10 malic acid (can be purchased on Amazon)

 

Method:

1. Bring all the liquid and powders to the boil
2. Ensure all powders have dissolved
3. Remove liquid from heat and stir in lemon balm leaves
4. Leave the liquid to infuse the lemon balm leaves for two hours then strain
5. Shake the lemon balm cordial and gin together, strain into a Champagne glass and top with sparkling wine
6. Garnish with a lemon balm leaf