Homemade boozy Christmas gifts

If you start now, you can make your own flavoured alcoholic drinks for Christmas presents. They're cheap and easy to prepare - and helps you avoid that last-minute rush

'Tis the season to be jolly? If only. Christmas can be one the most stressful times of the year, what with spending a fortune on gifts, food and drink, and running around like a headless chicken trying to decide what to buy at the last minute.

So, this year, why not have a more relaxed - and affordable - festive season by thinking about it now and making your own boozy Christmas presents. Your bank manager will be happy with your low spending, and your friends and family will be thrilled that you've taken the time and effort to concoct such personal, distinctive gifts.

The other bonus is that you make these presents now to give them time to mature. So when everyone else is in a last-minute buying panic, you can sit back, relaxed in the knowledge that you organised all your gifts weeks ago.

First things first – choose a recipe:

Over the page: Step-by-step Christmas booze

1. Buy the booze
The prime investment is in the cheapest alcohol you can find - forget the premium brands: supermarket own-labels are just as good.

jars2. Buy some containers
It's best to make your liqueurs in containers then transer them to attractive bottles. Choose bottling or preserving jars that have an air-tight seal and, preferably, a lock (they cost around £3-10, depending on size and quality).

You should also find some pretty bottles. Choose clear, non-coloured glass so that you can see the stunning jewel tones of your home-made fruit liquor.

Either buy new bottles from a homeware shop, or nip down to your supermarket and buy drinks sold in nice bottles - you not only get pretty bottles, you get to drink the contents first.

3. Sterilise your containers
Whatever you strain your liquor into, it must be properly sterile. The easiest way to sterilise containers is to run them through a hot dishwashing cycle. Leave out any rubber seals and wash them carefully by hand in soapy water, then dry them thoroughly with a clean cloth.

If you don't have a dishwasher, the traditional method is to scrub them well in warm soapy water, rinse, and dry off in a 140C/275F/gas mark 1 oven.

Alternatively, fill containers a quarter full with water and microwave them for 10 minutes on high, drain and use at once.

It is imperative – for all methods of sterilising – that you use the bottles or containers while still warm.

Over the page: Adding the ingredients

ingredients4. Add the ingredients
The basic method for making your drinks is the same in each case: you simply mix together all the ingredients in each recipe, pour into your sterile containers and store somewhere cool and dark for as long as possible.

The more time you allow ingredients to infuse the alcohol base, the more flavour is produced. Indeed, it's worth making quantities now for Christmas 2002, if you're really keen and organised.

Xmas Pud Wine & Sloe Gin5. Strain and bottle
To bottle your presents, strain liquors through a fine sieve. Fruit-based drinks can produce a cloudy sediment, so pour them carefully through coffee filter paper, too. Strain and bottle your booze several days ahead of presentation to give any remaining sediment time to settle.

You can present your bottles in wine gift boxes, or just tie with a ribbon. If you're very keen, draw, paint or print out a label and glue it on for that finishing touch.

Recipes:

Do you make your own booze? Or do you need some more advice or help? Post your comments and queries about this article.