Mmmmm, Sloe Gin

[mark a.]

I've just tried my first ever sloe gin, which also happens to be homemade by my fair hands, following recipes found on BCUK.

And... my god it's delicious! The first smell was amazing, followed by the first sip...

I was living dangerously somewhat, as I gave a dash to the whole family here, so we all had our first drink together, so it could all have gone horribly wrong. But the general consensus is that it's rather fine indeed.

Mustn't drink any more now (we're all in the choir at midnight mass, so we need to be sober enough to be able to read the music), but I think a post-mass tipple might be in order later.

So thanks to BCUK for the tips!

Mark

 

[AlbeoLupus]

Don't like Gin so made sloe vodka was it really good, hic

Along with, cherry brandy and plum rum.

No I don't have a drink problem

I drink

I fall over

No problem

Andy

 

[cubankopite]

i'm planning to break out my sloe vodka after christmas lunch tomorrow i just hope it tastes as good as it smells

 

[Biddlesby]

I'm cracking open the blackberry whiskey at christmas as well, I hope it was worth all that blackberry picking.

 

[Geoffrey_Bubbles]

Sorry for being naive, but what is 'sloe' anything and how do you make it?

I heard the term on river cottage the other day and didn't have a clue what he was on about...

Cheers
Geoff

 

[Biddlesby]

Sloes are sour fruits of the blackborn shrub that are about the size of grapes, but purpleish. To make sloe gin get a large container of sorts, and put in sloes, sugar (200g to each litre of sloes), fill to top of mixture with gin, seal and store in a dark place for four months or so; shaking regularly.

 

[Pappa]

Sloe gin mixed with tonic tastes quite a lot like, well, sort of like Tizer.

Just to add a bit to what Biddlesby said; Sloe's are closely related to Plumbs and Damsons, and taste much the same, but much sharper.

Pappa

 

[AlbeoLupus]

Sloe gin mixed with tonic tastes quite a lot like, well, sort of like Tizer.
Pappa

Yeah, but it gets you tiddly quicker

WW

 

[British Red]

Don't like Gin so made sloe vodka was it really good, hic

Andy

Curious that, I like gin, but gin doesn't like me . So I make sloe vodka as well It is truly great stuff! Anyway, for Geoff and anyone else who wouldn't recognise a sloe - heres a picture of a particularly abundant blackthorn last year

Red

BTW, if anyone wants it, my recipe is:

Gather 300g of sloes. Rinse under tap. pierce all sloes through (fork will do it). Put sloes into clean empty 70cl bottle (wine or spirit normal bottle size). They should half fill the bottle. Put in 100g of plain white sugar. Fill to neck with gin (or vodka) and cork firmly. Agitate every day for 1 week. Then once a week for two months. Put a coffee filter in a funnel. Pour out liquid through a sieve into the filter lined funnel into a clean bottle.

After a bit of experimentation, I have found that if I start with 900g of sloes and 2 bottles of gin, I end up with 3 bottles of "mix". When filtered out, I get two full bottles of sloe gin. My mix is 1:3 sugar:sloes so should be more to your taste. After the two months, the sloes may be left in the mix for up to 6 months - NO LONGER (takes a musty taste).

 

[MARK II]

British Red
With 100g of sugar , how sweet does it make the gin ,
Mark

 

[British Red]

Mark II,

Not very sweet at all! Sloes are very bitter, and the sugar just counters the bitterness really. Many people I know add far more sugar than I do, but I like this recope. You can always add sugar later if you find it not sweet enough (I'll bet you like it though). I tend to use cheap vodka rather than gin. If you've never had it, imaging the smeel of marzipan with a ribena backdrop. Thats about as near as I can get to the taste!

Red

 

[Geoffrey_Bubbles]

Ta for that British Red, I had no idea what they looked like, but I'd like to give it a go.

Its just gonna be finding them, I understand they are out of season at the moment?

Don't think I've ever seen them for sale anywhere.

Has anyone tried any other concoctions other than sloes?

Wondered if it was worth trying other fruits...

Geoff

 

[British Red]

Ta for that British Red, I had no idea what they looked like, but I'd like to give it a go.

Its just gonna be finding them, I understand they are out of season at the moment?

Don't think I've ever seen them for sale anywhere.

Has anyone tried any other concoctions other than sloes?

Wondered if it was worth trying other fruits...

Geoff

Other fruit work just fine - blackberry brandy is lovely (I prefer 75g of sugar in this), raspberry vodkas is fantastic (back to the 100g and gently mash the raspberries).

Sloes come out around the same time as other hedgerow fruit (September / October is the time to look for them). Some people say wait till the first frost to pick them, but I find the birds have had them by then.

If you want to shout me next Autumn, I'll happily host a hedgerow ramble in Hampshire. I can guarantee elderberries, tonnes of blackberries and sloes (all well away from roads etc.). We could sample some of this years mead by then to finish off!

Red

 

[Geoffrey_Bubbles]

Sounds good Red, just a shame its so far off!

Bear it in mind for the future and count me in

Geoff

 

[andyn]

Just a note for any future sloe wine makers, I find the best time to pick sloes is around the beginning of October but as more and more people are totally stripping the blackthorn shrubs earlier than that it is wise to start looking at the beginning/middle of September.

As the fruits won't have seen the first frost at the time of year it is adisable to bung your picking in the frezzer over night to simulate this and help break down the cell structure so that the fruits "bleeds" more when put in with the sugar.

 

[British Red]

Geoffrey,

Theres a few bottles in my shed (200 or so) of various wines and sloe type stuff. If I get time to make it to a Southern meet I promise to bring some (if Luxor1 and Ludlowsurvivor don't clean me out at our next group meet ). Mind you Daves good lady is a wild wine convert so we have a competition going this year with the sloes!

Red

 

[mark a.]

Our sloe gin is still going strong. I keep on meaning to make a Sloe Gin Fizz (sounds rather refreshing), but then just end up drinking it neat...!

I got my sloes in September, and didn't see many in October, so I'm glad I picked them then. I don't think they were fully ready yet, but I did as Andy suggests and stuck them in the freezer overnight. Beats poking each and every one with a fork.