Berry Cordial - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 quarts blackberries
1 quart water
5 cups sugar
5 cups vodka

Preparation

Put berries in a 6-8qt pot and add water; bring to rolling boil. Reduce to bare simmer and cover for 20 minutes, or until berries lose their shape.
Drain and strain through cheesecloth, squeezing out as much juice as possible. Allow to cool to room temperature. Measure quantity of juice.
Wash out pot and return juice to pot. Add 1- 1 1/2 cup sugar per quart of juice. Return to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature again.
Add 1 cup alcohol (vodka or white brandy) per quart of sweetened juice. (I personally like a mixture of the two, in a 2:1 ratio, as I find this smooths out any imperfections in either alcohol.).
Allow to sit for at least 2 weeks before bottling. Can be drunk immediately or allowed to age - it is distinctly better with 4-6 weeks of aging. For longer aging, make sure it is TIGHTLY sealed.