Pomme prisonnière tipple

1.Select fertilised apple or pear blossoms or infant fruit small enough to fit through the neck of the bottle. Choose fruit at the end of a small branch.

2.Carefully insert the bud or infant fruit into the bottle so the fruit is suspended in the middle of its new miniature glasshouse. Tie the bottle to the tree with soft wire, being careful not to knock or damage the branch. Make sure the bottle is secure so that the branch won’t snap or break on windy days. The fruit is fragile so start with at least three bottled buds to ensure a higher chance of success if the weather gets windy.

3.Leave fruit to grow. Check occasionally; sometimes you may need to gently tip the bottle to drain out rain water.

4.Once your fruit has matured, cut it from the branch. Using cold water and a soft bottle brush, gently clean the fruit and the inside of the bottle.

5.Fill bottle to the top with brandy, rum or vodka and seal; I have sometimes added cinnamon sticks, star anise and sliced ginger for a spiced winter version.

6.Place in a cool, dark place for 12 months or wrap as a gift with a label giving cellaring instructions. After a year’s cellaring, the tipple is best sipped neat or over ice – or with a little sparkling water in the heat of summer.