Sloe gin
- Prepare
- over 2 hours
- Cook
- no cooking required
- Serve
- Makes 1 litre/1¾ pint
Making sloe gin is slow but not laborious. There's no cooking required, just a big jar and some patience as the sloes steep in the gin over several weeks.
Method
Prick the skin of the sloes all over with a toothpick and put in a large sterilised jar. (See Recipe Tips)
Pour in the sugar and the gin, seal tightly and shake well.
Store in a cool, dark cupboard and shake every other day for a week. Then shake once a week for at least two months.
Strain the sloe gin through a sieve into a sterilised bottle with an airtight seal. The gin can be drunk as early as Christmas, but will continue to mature if left in the bottle for years. Store in a cool, dark place.
Recipe tips
Many people advise to wait until the first frost to pick sloes, but the birds may beat you to them (and frosts may come later in this era of climate change). If the sloes are plump, tender and purple-black under the blue bloom, you can certainly use them for gin. If you freeze them, you can induce the skin-splitting effect of frosts and skip the toothpick pricking.
The quantity of sugar is a question of taste, but of course you can't really taste until the sloes have released all their lovely flavour. Take notes if you like making this annually so you know what sweetness suits you.
