Biting into rustic scone that’s overflowing with jam and clotted cream has to be one of the most joyful experiences you can have.

And while there may be some arguments over which goes on first, the jam or the cream (cue the parting of the team here at Craft Gin Club HQ), it is universally accepted that scone plus jam and cream equals maximum deliciousness!

Just the thought of that buttery, biscuity dough, with its soft interior and crunchy, nobbly exterior, and the thick yet silky-smooth clotted cream and the sweet fruity jam all combining together in one bite is enough to make one go light-headed with delight.

How can that equation be improved? With the addition of gin, of course! This recipe has you soaking dried fruit in gin and making a jam inspired by that most delectable of gin cocktails, the Bramble. Yum!

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Ginny Scones & Boozy Bramble Jam!

Ingredients

For the jam:
250g blackberries
250g raspberries
500g granulated sugar
100ml gin (Chilgrove Bramble Edition Gin is our first choice)
1 tbsp of lemon juice

For the scones:
50ml gin (something spiced like Ludlow Spiced Gin or something fruity like Chilgrove Bramble Edition Gin work particularly well here)
90g diced unsalted butter
330g plain flour
60g caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
70g raisins (feel free to mix it up with other dried fruit like cranberries and apricots too)
110ml buttermilk
90ml milk
1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

Method

For the jam:

Add your berries and sugar to a heavy bottom pan and leave on medium-low heat to stew.

If you have a sugar thermometer then the temperature you are looking for is 105c/220F. If you don’t have a sugar thermometer then a good way to test that your jam has reached the right temperature is to pour a little of the mixture from the pan onto a cold plate. If it wrinkles straight away then your jam is ready to take off the heat.

Add the gin and lemon juice to your jam and stir.

Pour into a jam jar and leave to cool.

For the scones:

First, put your dried fruit in a bowl and pour over the gin. Leave to soak.

Add the sugar and salt to a big bowl then sieve in the flour and baking powder.

Add the diced butter and rub the contents of the bowl together with your fingertips until “breadcrumbs” form. Here, the more uneven the scrums the better, so don’t worry if there are some larger crumbs of butter in there.

Pat the residual moisture off the dried fruits, which should have absorbed the gin.

Add the dried fruit to the flour and butter mix.

Leave the fruit, flour and butter mix in the fridge to cool for at least 20 mins.

Preheat your over to 180c (200 fan)

Combine the milk and buttermilk in a pouring jug.

Take the flour, butter and fruit mix out of the fridge and add the milk mix in three parts, using a spatula or fork to combine the ingredients into a dough.

Put the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and roll it into a circle that’s about 2 inches thick.

Cut out the shapes of your individual scones and place them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Leave them to rest at room temperature before brushing the egg mix onto their tops.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the scones from the oven and leave to cool slightly before serving. They are best served warm with lots of clotted cream and our boozy bramble jam.

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If savoury scones are more to your taste then you will love these mouth-watering apple, sage and cheese scones!