A while back we made some whisky gums using the sous vide technique as detailed by Heston Blumenthal in The Fat Duck Cookbook. https://charlottejulienne.com/dewars-whisky-gums They were an incredible success, but lots of fans of our site have been asking if there is a way to do the same thing without using the sous vide method. Fortunately, we did not have to look far for a solution as Heston Blumenthal has a simple version in his cookbook Heston Blumenthal at Home. We (of course) had to use our namesakes Dewar’s Whisky, but as there is now a Dewar’s Highlander Honey Whisky, we decided to switch to that and also to replace any liquid sugar with some of our wonderful Red Bee Star Thistle honey. https://charlottejulienne.com/product/red-bee-red-currant-honey.
The ingredients list can all be found very easily and are as follows:
8 ounces of Dewar’s Highlander Honey Whisky
Four envelopes of powdered gelatin (about 30g / 1oz in total)
8 ounces of Red Bee Honey (we used the Star Thistle variety)
5 Ounces of light brown sugar
1/2 tspn Cream of Tartar
(1/2 cup of granulated sugar for dusting)
Pour half of the Dewar’s Highlander Honey Whisky into a saucepan and then add all the gelatin and gently heat over a low flame .
If you do this first, just keep warm to prevent the mix from setting.
In a separate saucepan add the remaining Whisky and whisk in the cream of tartar.
Add the light brown sugar.
….and finally the Red Bee Honey.
For the next bit you will need a candy thermometer. Heat the Whisky, sugar, honey mix to soft ball temp (240F) then remove from the heat and allow to cool to about 210f.
Combine the two mixtures and mix carefully (it might look good enough to eat, but resist a quick taste as it is still extremely hot).
Pour into chocolate molds (if you do not have one then place triple plastic wrap on a baking tray and pour liquid onto this. It can then be cut into cubes once it is cool). Which ever method you choose, a little spray oil prior to your pour makes for easy removal.
Leave your Dewar’s Highlander Honey Whisky Gums in the fridge overnight then remove from the mold and dust with sugar.
We thought that the result was great. They have a real taste of honey with just a tiny hint of whisky. The sous vide method definitely helps to keep the whisky flavor and a percentage of alcohol. Unfortunately, this non-sous vide method does burn off the alcohol, but the cooking process does maintain the “spirit” (sorry could not resist the pun) of the Dewar’s Highlander Honey Whisky.
The Whisky gums will keep in the fridge for several months and are a great and fun way to end a meal.
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