Strawberry vanilla jam with a dash of pink gin might be the most peculiar strawberry jam you will taste. Think a luscious strawberry jam, chunky with some strawberry bits, with vanilla pod and lemon zest added for flavour and a fantastic balanced profile. Your secret card here is gin.
Alcoholic beverages added to desserts often have the purpose of spiking up the final product, giving it an edge and making it more palatable to an adult target group. Think of liquor-filled chocolate pralines or that hint of Amaretto in tiramisù. Sometimes, though, the spirit plays more of a background role, like in the case of this recipe.
Vanilla is the key flavouring added to this strawberry jam, followed by the lemon zest that is also added. What is the purpose of gin, then? Well, gin balances the whole equation. The combination of ripe strawberries, sugar and vanilla makes for a very sweet outcome, so the bitter botanicals of gin have the task of counteracting that (almost excessive) sweetness. For a well balanced strawberry vanilla jam.
The gin in this recipe plays the same role as vodka in Penne al salmone e vodka.
The ingredients
This simple jam has a rather short ingredient list, but I strongly believe that in the kitchen less is more, so here they are. Also, I’m not using any pectin nor enriched jam sugar, these ingredients alone will do the trick.
For detailed quantities please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make strawberry vanilla jam
- Rinse the strawberries and remove the crown of leaves. Chop them and add them to a pot with the sugar. Zest and press the lemon, and add both the zest and the juice to the strawberries. For one batch of this recipe you will need 80 ml (1/3 cup) of lemon juice, so if your lemons are small you may need to use 2.
- Set on medium heat, stirring to distribute the sugar. After 2 minutes, when the sugar has started dissolving, cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape it down into the pot.
- Simmer for 25 min on medium heat, then remove from the stove. Once away from a source of heat, proceed to mash if you want a smoother texture (I only mash a little bit, to break any larger fruits, but I like some chunky bits) and stir in the gin. It is important to do this once away from the stove, as we do not want to evaporate it.
- Remove the jam from the heat and immediately pour into jars. Please notice that jam in sterilized jars can be stored at room temperature. If your jars are not sterilized I recommend to store the jam refrigerated.
What kind of gin in strawberry jam
My gin of choice in strawberry vanilla jam is any one that is marketed as “pink”. The bouquet of pink gins often features rhubarb and fruits, making it a sweeter option than other types of gin. The amount we are adding in this recipe is minimal, so you can easily choose any other type of gin.
If you abstain from alcohol you can still make this recipe omitting the gin. As I have explained above, the juniper distillate helps balance out the sweetness that vanilla highlights in sugared strawberries. There is nothing wrong with a very sweet jam, and gin is not the main ingredient here anyway.
The range of alcohol free “spirits” has been growing in recent years, with experimental mixtures gaining more and more market favour. I haven’t had the opportunity to try an alcohol free gin, but I am aware that options exist. Although it may be lacking in bite, an alcohol free gin may still add aroma to this strawberry vanilla jam, so if you are familiar with such products and have tried, please do let me know.
After all, we are adding a dash of gin for the flavour, not really for its alcohol content.
This jam tastes fantastic on buttered toast, or even better paired with peanut butter! You can also use it to fill a tart.
For more inspiration you may also want to check out my spiced plum jam recipe.
If you have a habit of making fruit jams and preserves at home and you have gin at hand, I can strongly recommend to give this recipe a try next time you have a bountiful strawberry harvest. Pin this recipe for later, if strawberries are not really in season where you are. Of course you can make this recipe also with frozen strawberries, you may just need to cook it a little bit longer as there might be more liquid to evaporate.
Strawberry jam with gin and vanilla
Ingredients
- 700 g strawberries
- 300 g sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 lemon min. 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 cl pink gin
Instructions
- Rinse the strawberries and remove the crown of leaves. Chop them and add them to a pot with the sugar.
- Zest and press the lemon (if small, use 2), and add both the zest and the juice to the strawberries. Make sure to have at least 80 ml (1/3 cup) of lemon juice for one batch of jam. Set on medium heat, stirring to distribute the sugar. After 2 minutes, when the sugar has started dissolving, cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape it down into the pot.
- Simmer for 25 min on medium heat, then remove from the stove. Once away from a source of heat, proceed to mash if you want a smoother texture and stir in the gin. It is important to do this once away from the stove, as we do not want to evaporate it.
- Remove the jam from the heat and immediately pour into jars. Proceed to either sterilize or let cool to room temperature and then store refrigerated (depending on your preference).
