Instructions: Put the blackcurrants into a large bowl and mash them a little with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour on the red wine, cover the bowl with a clean cloth and allow the fruit to soak for two days.

Liquidise the fruit and wine in a blender, tip the whole mass into a clean pillow case and press the liquid through. Measure the juice which results, pour it into a large preserving pan and add sugar at the rate of 1 oz for each 2 fluid ounces of juice (10 oz sugar per UK pint).

Stir the syrup over a low heat to dissolve all the sugar. Simmer very gently for 2 hours, maintain a temperature of only 70-80C, till the syrup is slightly reduced.

Let the syrup cool, skim the surface of any foam and add the brandy. Pour into clean bottles and leave for a month or so before broaching. (To draw off (a liquid) by piercing a hole in a cask or other container. ) [] I guess when the liquid is in a
bottle, it means to open the bottle and pour out a bit of it. []

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