I will start by saying, I bloody LOVE Sloe Gin. I could drink it all day, every day. And there have been times when we have devoured whole bottles in minutes – just be careful kids, it can be lethal and you may take to your bed for rest of the day…
It takes a bit of dedication at the start, you need at least a year for the gin to mature. My Dad has bottles of Sloe Gin (and Whiskey) that are 10 or 20 years old – now they really would be lethal! The ideal is to make enough in year X to see you through to year X+1 where you make more and drink year X whilst year X+1 replenishes your stocks, and so on. Still with me?
Anyway, Sloe picking season is traditionally any time after the first frost – but I don’t believe in that fully. Sometimes the sun is shining and the bushes are heaving with sloes and I am still wearing shorts! I always just freeze the berries first to mimic the winter anyway. As I said, I love sloe gin but as Dolly tells us, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain, and the sloes rain is the bloody thorns! Worth the hassle though I think, and you get to walk through the beautiful countryside, feeling all wholesome!
Storage is really key, make sure your bottles are properly sterilised, fully sealed and air tight as doing otherwise can easily spoil the gin and it won’t be nice to drink if air or bacteria gets in.
Ingredients. Makes about 1.5 ltr
500g Sloe Berries
250g-500g White Sugar
1 litre Gin. It really does make a difference what gin you use, so splash out and use your favourite.
Method
1. Go and pick your Sloes, it is not the most efficient process…
2. I would freeze them overnight in 500g lots so you are ready to go
3. Put the Sloes in a clean, sterilised jar (for example a Kilner) These can even be frozen, so that’s good.
4. Add the Sugar and Gin. Depending on your flavour preference, add more or less sugar. I would say no more than equal weight to sloes, and no less than half the weight. Some People will tell you add the gin a day before the sugar to help the release of the juice but I haven’t noticed a big difference.
5. Seal the jar and put to one side. Shake it rigorously every day for a week to help the sugar dissolve.
6. Put it away to bed in a cool dark place for at least a year… Make sure you label it well to avoid any confusion with your rolling stock.
7. Decant and devour!
8. Perfect over ice, or in a cocktail or in a hip flask!
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