Perfect sloe gin
Before
After
Sloe gin time. Seems like it was a good year for sloes because I came across blackthorn bushes absolutely bursting with ripe fruit the other day. Maybe it was the hot, dry summer we had? Anyway I went back and collected over a kilo of them and then celebrated with a glass of last year’s gin, which is now the deepest, clearest ruby red (and looks even better in candlelight).
There are a gazillion sloe gin recipes online. I use a River Cottage one for quantities. But having read a few over the years, I’ve picked up a few extra little tips which help to guarantee sloe success.
If you’re picking before the first frost, pre-freeze then to help break the skins
Use strong gin (or vodka!) - 40% proof ideally - because you lose a lot of alcohol during the process
Wait until the fruit has finished steeping to add the sugar, because then you can do it to taste
If you do this, use sugar syrup rather than granules so it dissolves better
Steep the fruit for 3 months then use it again to make sloe cider, jam or port
After you’ve removed the fruit and sweetened the gin, leave it to mature in the bottle (for a year or two if possible!) to help the flavours mellow
It’s worth the wait, and of course makes the best Christmas tipple. A gift to your future self.