Dunk

iTrader: (1)

Never made it before, but now we've had the first frost I'm off picking tonight Plenty of recipies on Google, any sloe experts want to share their method & tips ?

D

Kev_turbo

2" sugar in the bottom of the bottle, fill to just over 1/3rd full with sloes (pricked or cut to allow juices to flow), fill with gin.

Turn every day until sugar has dissolved then every week or so for 12 months.

Drink

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I made my last lot with THREE LITRES of gin off a cross-channel ferry, in a demijohn, usually used for wine making.

Exactly as above.

Makes an excellent cocktail additive too...........

Alcazar

Leslie

I dissolve as much castor sugar as possible since it goes through a change and makes it like a liqeur with a bit of body, it needs a bit of sweetness to counteract the bitterness of the sloes. I also add a teaspoon of almond essence per 3 bottles and also drop a couple of cloves in as well until it is bottled

Never use cheapo gin-it ruins it and Plymouth Gin is as good as you will get for it. leave it until it has gone a deep red before you bottle it and filter it at least 5 times. I use 5 Knee high stockings-new!- as a filter It tastes many time better when it is at least a year old. Make sure the bottles are airtight.

Good luck,

Les

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

Superb, although I'm not sure if I can wait a year to try it.
Leslie,
I take it your let it do it's stuff in a demi john or kilner before putting back into the bottle ? Do you fill the bottle with sloes, or half / 2/3rds full before adding the gin ?

D

andyfish

Don't forget that when the sloe gin is made you can use the fruit for wicked pudding - just add cream, and make sure you have somewhere to sleep it off after!

andy

TopBanana

Is it nice then? Never tried it

Tim Bomford

Can either ***** the fruit as most recipes state or just give em a quick blast in the microwave, much easier!
Dont bother wasting money on your fave gin either just use own brand stuff as all you'll taste is the sloe's anyway.
Try to refrain from tasting.....too often as it matures

Gymbal

Freeze the sloes, half weight sugar, at least half filled with sloes.
Wait. Filter. Drink .Ginger beer is particularly tasty. I still have some doing from last year. Some say to leave in as long as possible other say 3 months then filter.
Damson Gin/vodka also stewing. Rowan vodka is plan C. Looks very orange, not tasting yet.......

Leslie

Dunk,

I have got a couple of the old glass sweet jars which are perfect for the job. I use 1/3 of a jar of sloes and I often add some damsons as well. It is also easy to make it with damsons only and that tastes just as good.

Good luck, you have to be strong and put a bottle away each year.

Les

CharlesW

I fill the bottles 1/2 - 2/3 full of pricked sloes + 1/4 lb of sugar. Then fill up with gin. Turn once a day for a month. I filter it after 3 months and then keep it a further 9 months before starting to drink it. It is surprisingly good.

I have just started last year's effort. I have just made some more a couple of weeks ago, while I was in Cornwall. You may find you have left it a bit late to pick the sloes. Many of them had already shrivelled up on the bushes 2 weeks ago.

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

Picked a litre of them them today, a similar amount tomorrow should see enough for 4 bottles (There's a few shrivelled, but not many, so I think I'll be fine.) Wait a whole year.....does 1st jan 07 count ?

D

Leslie

haha-yes you are right, it is difficult to wait.

Les

ScoobLou

iTrader: (21)

I'd have ago at making this if I didn't have to wait a year before I could drink it

Leslie

You don't have to wait a year, but it tastes much better if you do. Best to make a reasonable amount each year and put a bottle away while you drink the others.

Les

Chris L

If you like Port, you'll probably like sloe gin

If you want to try some, there are a few supermarkets and wine shops that sell Gordon's sloe gin, which is surprisngly good.

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

Update: Only half a litre made it to 11 months , 'cos it's so bloody nice
Did a few different blends of sugar, finally settled on third of the bottle in sloes, 175g of sugar in a 3/4 litre bottle.

Delighted to see the first frost during the week so the 07 vintage is now underway

D

oldsplice

I made sloe gin and sloe whisky years ago. I'd forgotten about the whisky and found the bottle at the back of the cupboard a couple of years later. Took the lid off and sniffed it, and the fumes nearly took the hairs off the inside of my nose! Tasted lovely though!

David Lock

Any one tried Lemon Gin?

Gordons used to make it but I haven't seen it in UK. Beats an ordinary G&T.

I think it's just a question of steeping gin in lemon peel but there may be more to it than that. dl

Leslie

I mentioned that Lidls were selling Apple Schapps for only £4.99 a bottle.(70 cc) 20% proof.

I have just put some of that which down with sloes instead of using gin. I have made some like that with some I got in Germany in the past and the flavours combine really well. I was disappointed that I was unable to get the Schnapps in this country until I saw it in Lidls the other day-tastes great as it comes out of the bottle too! It does not need so much sugar as with the gin.

Glad you liked your first lot Dunk, the trick is to make enough so you can save a bottle each year. I have some up to 8 years old now and it can only improve with age

Les

Iwan

Damn, I made some about a month ago but I left the sugar out.

I just filled a 2L mineral water bottle 3/4 full with sloes (slashed) and then added 1L of Smirnoff Vodka (sloe vodka rather than sloe gin), there's about 1/4 of the bottle still empty - can I just add a load of sugar now?

It's already gone a deep red/purple colour, looks nice so I hope it isn't all wasted.

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

The sugar's only for sweetening as sloes are very bitter, so wing it in now ! Turn every day or two, after a week or two it'll be totally dissolved.

D

Leslie

No problem to put it in now Iwan, it does help it to get a bit of body too, like a licqueur.

Les

Iwan

Cheers guys, I've just added approx 200g of sugar and given it a good shake - it's was already smelling pretty fruity and appealing.

I think I'm going to buy some more vodka and top the bottle up a little, is it ok topping it right up - or is there going to be any fermentation going on (gas produced etc.)?

Flatcapdriver

Dunk. You don't have to wait for the first frost you know. Just stick them in the freezer.

Leslie

No it does not ferment at all, its just the combination of the flavours and the sugar changing to give it a licqueur like bit of body.

The only problem with waiting for a frost or puttiing them in the freezer is that it needs a lot more filtering before you bottle it. It is much cleaner if you don't use split berries but make a slit in each complete one with a scalpel or similar.

Les

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

just remembered I had a laugh at the expense of my girlfriend on this topic.
She freaked out that when she was cutting the grass, a slow worm crawled over her feet. I said dont kill it, as they are great and used for making slow gin
Yup, they squash them down and put the SLOE worms into a sieve to make a lovely juice mixed with gin...took her a whole day to find out I was lying

Leslie

You had better watch it, or you will find yourself doing another move!

Haven't you finished that speech yet?

Les

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

I have and it went down a storm
just havent changed my mood yet

Scoobydid

I've got a bottle of Blackberry Gin on the go, tastes fantastic already after just a couple of weeks, I don't think its going to survive Christmas. Might get out and find some sloes at the weekend and give that a go with Vodka. A friend did that last year and we had it on our Boxing Morning mountain bike ride, we waited until about 9:30 though Fantastic stuff