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Sloe Gin


Odana

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I stumbled upon an undenuded sloe bush last night - I now have several kilos of sloes (and many scratches) and am waiting eagerly for Christmas! I also acquired a discarded 5litre brewing container from the lab at work, so bar a stop at ASDA on the way home for cheap gin, I'm all set.

 

But ... I've never made sloe gin before, so who wants to share their granny's favourite, secret gin recipe? It's just gin, sugar and sloes I understand, but in what proportions?

 

 

(Edited to say ooops - Just realised I meant to put this in 'recipes'. Feel free to move me.)

Edited by Odana
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I stumbled upon an undenuded sloe bush last night - I now have several kilos of sloes (and many scratches) and am waiting eagerly for Christmas! I also acquired a discarded 5litre brewing container from the lab at work, so bar a stop at ASDA on the way home for cheap gin, I'm all set.

 

But ... I've never made sloe gin before, so who wants to share their granny's favourite, secret gin recipe? It's just gin, sugar and sloes I understand, but in what proportions?

 

 

(Edited to say ooops - Just realised I meant to put this in 'recipes'. Feel free to move me.)

 

I envy you! Haven't found any sloes worth picking yet, and didn't find any last year, so supplies are very low. Here's what I do:

 

Weigh the amount of sloes which will half fill a wide-necked container, then add three quarters of that weight of sugar (Mrs Mac adds an equal weight, but that's too sweet for me). Fill the container to the top with gin (and put the top on!) Every day after that upend the container to mix the sugar and sloes, if the top is gin-tight, or stir with a wooden spoon if not, until all the sugar is dissolved. Another month should see the full flavour develop, when it can be strained (we use old tights, but sometimes that leaves a bit of sediment - if I was being fussy I would strain through kitchen roll in a funnel, but that takes ages) and bottled.

 

I'm sure you'll get lots of variations, as everyone has their own preferred method.

 

Edited to say that it is completely unnecessary to cut or prick the sloes, as Chris's link suggests - far too fiddly and makes no difference.

 

Cheers

 

Mac

Edited by Mac of Cygnet
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I liked a recipe I found on the internet a few years ago which started

 

Buy a bottle of gin and drink half...

 

One thing I can remember is that a few recipes advised putting the sloes in a poly bag in the freezer for a few days before starting to make the sloe gin. This made the skins burst and saved the laborious task of piercing them which you are apparently supposed to do.

 

Whatever merhod you use, enjoy!

 

Haggis

Edited by haggis
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That's what tonic was invented for (or dry vermouth...)

 

And there I was thinking the tonic was to allow posh colonial ladies to justify drinking too much gin 'because of the quinine' in the tonic in them there pre-malaria-tablet days....

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Wow! A whole sloe forum! And with moderators with names like SloeHoHo no less. Fascinating stuff.

 

Thanks all. Sloes will stay in the freezer for the weekend while I do all things I ought to have been doing instead of sloe-hunting. But Monday night is for bottling, and then begins the long, long wait to try the first drop. I'm getting most unreasonably excited about this - must be the effect of the sugar from all those healthy blackberry and pear crumbles....

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No reason why it shouldn't do both jobs. Morrisons' tonic is just as good as Sch - stuff, too.

 

Having done a fair amount of cheap Gin and own brand tonic research (in the interests of science :lol: ) I recommend Tescos 'one off the bottom price' Gin (their Value 'Welfare' Gin is a bit er... industrial) and any own brand of tonic except Sainsburys which is vile.

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I stumbled upon an undenuded sloe bush last night - I now have several kilos of sloes (and many scratches) and am waiting eagerly for Christmas! I also acquired a discarded 5litre brewing container from the lab at work, so bar a stop at ASDA on the way home for cheap gin, I'm all set.

 

But ... I've never made sloe gin before, so who wants to share their granny's favourite, secret gin recipe? It's just gin, sugar and sloes I understand, but in what proportions?

 

 

(Edited to say ooops - Just realised I meant to put this in 'recipes'. Feel free to move me.)

 

No one has mentioned yet that they should be picked ONLY when the first frost has fallen which is usually mid October (plus easier to pick when the leaves have dropped).

No need to prick, you can slash them or rumble round in a collander, or better still pop in the freezer as this splits the skins.

We use pint sloes, pint of suger & pint of gin but this was too sweet for us, although the Father in Law who had collected them down the farm loved this mix. We preferred to weaken it with using more gin:)

 

Last year sloes were very scarce, this year is looking far better & all the trees have have been earmarked for us when the Father in Law gets round to picking them on his walk round the fields.

 

BTW sloe vodka is very tasty too !!!

 

Warning DO NOT leave sloes in longer than approx 6 weeks as it gets toxic realeasing cyanide from the stone.

The birds love the pulp/leftover stuff after our use, they get drunk :lol:

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Purchase proper gin (40% ABV minimum)... Drink 1/4 of it or decant into another bottle, bruise or freeze sloes, defrost if ness. introduce to gin... leave for a while ( Dog knows how long, weeks not hours though wont rot due to alcohol content, but 37.5% gin i.e Gordons unacceptable)... Drink.. Fall over... My mates Gran used to make this when we were teenagers... I have still at the age of 40 never been so battered (and I have tried earnestly).... Commended, takes the maudlin (sp) edge off the gin and complements the botanicals. Soft Fruit Vodka (strawberries/rasberries ect) can be prepared in the same way and is a yummy summer cooler drunk long with quality lemonade!

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Last year sloes were very scarce, this year is looking far better & all the trees have have been earmarked for us when the Father in Law gets round to picking them on his walk round the fields.

 

The sloes on our hedge this year are massive - but size doesn't mean quality?

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I freeze the sloes first, then half fill big kilner jar, add enough sugar to fill the gaps and top with gin. Shake the bottle each day for a week or so to help the sugar dissolve. It will be ready by December if you do it now.

 

Them if you put the sloes back in another Kilner jar and then top up with dry sherry and leave a month or so, it makes a great aperitif!

 

Then, when you've strained the sherry off, make chocolate truffles with the boozy sloes. Chop flesh of sloes fairly small, discard stones. 8 oz best dark chocolate, 6-8 oz thick cream (depends how firm you like your truffles - I like equal weight choc and cream) and 1 oz unsalted butter. Break (or grate) chocolate very small and put in glass bowl over pan of water which is simmering and melt chocolate. Meanwhile, heat cream and butter until butter melts. Pour cream . butter in with chocolate, stir to mix well, add chopped sloes and stir well again. Cover and leave in fridge overnight to cool and go firm. Next day, scrape teaspoons of the chocolate and cream mix and form into little balls, rolling each one on a saucer of cocoa powder to coat.

 

Leave for an hour or so and then eat! Delicious.

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I freeze the sloes first, then half fill big kilner jar, add enough sugar to fill the gaps and top with gin. Shake the bottle each day for a week or so to help the sugar dissolve. It will be ready by December if you do it now.

 

Them if you put the sloes back in another Kilner jar and then top up with dry sherry and leave a month or so, it makes a great aperitif!

 

Then, when you've strained the sherry off, make chocolate truffles with the boozy sloes. Chop flesh of sloes fairly small, discard stones. 8 oz best dark chocolate, 6-8 oz thick cream (depends how firm you like your truffles - I like equal weight choc and cream) and 1 oz unsalted butter. Break (or grate) chocolate very small and put in glass bowl over pan of water which is simmering and melt chocolate. Meanwhile, heat cream and butter until butter melts. Pour cream . butter in with chocolate, stir to mix well, add chopped sloes and stir well again. Cover and leave in fridge overnight to cool and go firm. Next day, scrape teaspoons of the chocolate and cream mix and form into little balls, rolling each one on a saucer of cocoa powder to coat.

 

Leave for an hour or so and then eat! Delicious.

 

Now this is the kind of reuse and recycling I like!!! So much for the diet starting after crumble season eh...?

 

(have found some damsons now too - am assuming the procedures are similar but now have enough fruit to start experimenting)

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Now this is the kind of reuse and recycling I like!!! So much for the diet starting after crumble season eh...?

 

(have found some damsons now too - am assuming the procedures are similar but now have enough fruit to start experimenting)

Damsons are good in cheap rum ;-)

Sue

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Wow! A whole sloe forum! And with moderators with names like SloeHoHo no less. Fascinating stuff.

 

Thanks all. Sloes will stay in the freezer for the weekend while I do all things I ought to have been doing instead of sloe-hunting. But Monday night is for bottling, and then begins the long, long wait to try the first drop. I'm getting most unreasonably excited about this - must be the effect of the sugar from all those healthy blackberry and pear crumbles....

Try blackberry gin same quantities as sloe gin this is allso very nice and no need to freeze.

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