Sloe Gin

[neocaligatio]

So I know the stalwarts say "Wait until the first frost" but from experience round our way this results in zero fruit and plenty of dried up raisons....

But last weekend we picked a kilo and half of sloes and have a tidy 5 litres of sloe gin currently turning a wonderful shade of crimson

Anyone else doing it? :lol:

Also, we had some blackberries left over so one of them is a blackberry and sloe mix, with dark brown sugar - could be great, could be less than great :lol:

 

[Pig Cat]

Yes, we've got two or three litres on the go at the moment. It's already turning a lovely colour. I'm not a great drinker but love some sloe gin around Christmas time.

SWMBO is having a WI-style month making pickles, chutneys and crab apple jelly, mostly to send to friends and relatives for Christmas presents along with some of the sloe gin. :hungrig

 

[hando]

i found it best to freeze the berries before making, the purists will insist on pricking them with a thorn from the bush but as long as the skin's burst it doesn't matter

 

[Pig Cat]

i found it best to freeze the berries before making, the purists will insist on pricking them with a thorn from the bush but as long as the skin's burst it doesn't matter

I tried the freezing method last year and it didn't split the berries. This year we skewered them one by one to make sure all their sloey juices dribbled out. I have to say that although this method works well it is rather sloe.

 

[neocaligatio]

Having read the various opinions on freezing etc we just left them in the fridge overnight - half of them split and the other got slices with a paring knife before going in.

I particularly like the moment when you spot the first worm that found its way in :mrgreen:

 

[razorquest]

I've got three litres on the go. Last year was my first batch, I picked the sloes near the start of September when they weren't very ripe at all but still made great gin. This year picked them at the start of October and they were much bigger and better colour. This year i also have a litre of blackberry brandy, a litre of sea buckthorn gin, a litre of elderberry gin, two litres of raspberry vodka and a litre of rosehip vodka which I will add petals as well in the spring.

 

[Norky]

I am doing Damson gin again this year, plus I started an apple and blackberry gin over the weekend.

 

[mattyb240]

What do you need to make it? Sounds like an interesting project?

 

[Pig Cat]

What do you need to make it? Sounds like an interesting project?

Sloes (berries from the Blackthorn bush), sugar and gin. Some recipes include almond essence. There are some recipes online.

I don't know if sloes grow everywhere in the UK but there's certainly a lot in the hedgerows of Suffolk.

 

[iancxx]

Ive still got several bottle's of last year Sloe Vodka and Schnapps,made all mine with dark demerera sugar bliddy lovely ime going to try rosehip gin this year,as sloes are thin on the ground in my usual haunts.

Ian