Sloe gin, yes... but what gin?

[BigShot]

It's a given that Sloe Gin is one of God's finer gifts to mankind, but the question of what gin to use is on my mind.

There's no way I'd use something as delicate as Bombay Saphire (lovely gin but too much tonic will kill that stuff, let alone a pile of sugar and sloes!)... I do know that Plymouth is pretty much as tough as nails though (the flavour stands up against some severe punishment and it's a nice gin to boot)... but what would you suggest?

My current thought is Plymouth, but equally I'm considering something a bit cheaper as long as it's not just paint stripper being rescued by berries. I'm a believer in starting with quality ingredients y'see.

 

[BorderReiver]

It's not going to matter after you've mucked about with it, so buy the cheapest you can find.

I can't stand gin but I enjoy a drop of sloe gin, so I reckon any original gin flavour must be totally suppressed.

 

[Toddy]

I used to only use Gordon's for it ( I don't drink much anyway so I just bought a standard *name*) but the friend who gave me the sloes told me not to be so daft, and that the bottle of gin from Lidl's (under £8) worked really well.
Guess what? he was right

You seem to have something of a glut of the sloes, you could just try a couple of varieties of the gin and see which one appeals most.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[VirusKiller]

Agreed. Get the cheapest you can find...

 

[durulz]

Yup. As others have said - use a cheap brand.
I tend to use Morrisons or Tescos own brand.
Strength is probably more important than cost - the sloe juice and sugar will dilute it slightly. If you care about strength, of course.

 

[Melonfish]

gordons or greenalls should do you. i rather like greenalls myself.
nothing to do with the fact i'm in warrington

 

[VirusKiller]

I tend to drink sloe gin with water and ice, so even strength is not important. I've heard rumours that most people can't tell the difference between gins in blind taste tests, but that could be urban myth. The point is, I suppose, that juniper berries are juniper berries and any subtlety added in the "premium" brands will be overpowered by the taste of the sloes.

 

[BigShot]

Cheers folks.
It seems pretty unanimous for the cheap and cheerful.


BorderReiver...
In my bartending days it was surprising how many people didn't like a particular spirit, yet given the right mix by yours truly they loved it despite the fact the main flavour was still there. I had a kind of obsession about not hiding the ingredients with sugar and juice.
It could well be that there's plenty of gin flavour but you've just got the right way to compliment it. Then again, I could be completely wrong - I've never made the stuff before! Haha!


Toddy...
I think I might do that. I'll be popping back to get more sloes just as soon as the downpour we're having at the moment passes so I should have enough for 4 bottles of sloe gin (2 normal and 2 fermented, 1 cheap gin and one branded one each). It'll be a fun experiment if nothing else!


Durulz...
I'm not too fussed about strength, more about flavour. Though the fermented berries one I'll be making will certainly be stronger.
The main problem will be deciding which one to put in my hip flask!


Melonfish...
I never even realised Greenalls was so local.


VirusKiller...
I hadn't thought of taking it like that. It sounds like a really nice summer's day drink. I'll be trying that for sure! Sounds like it'd work well drunk like the French drink their pastis.


I got a couple of 1 litre Le Parfait jars today so once I've cleaned them I'll be ready to get some gin on the go anyway. I might need to pop back for a couple more now though.

Oh and in case anyone is in the Manchester area, Unicorn grocery in Chorlton sells them in (I think) 3 sizes. 500, 750 and 1000 (ml of course) and also sell the screw top ones too... along with replacement seals for both and lids for the screw tops.
Prices seem about normal there too, and you don't have to buy them by the half dozen like you seem to on most online shops.