Sloe time of year.

[Bm101]

The Mrs used to make sloe gin regularly. Then she lost the habit as the Nun said to the Viking.
Decided to reinstate a tradition this summer because even I can fit in of an hour or twos work then leaving it alone for a year or two and having litres of GodsOwnGinjuice on hand for when I'm feeling flamboyant and have a Sunday off work.
I'm going about this in a fairly military manner. Other than the guns and invasions and stuff. I've hypothetically sourced a load of demijohns on Gumtree and the plan is to eventually have a rotating stock to flatter Farmer Beans cider collection if you are familiar with the Fantastic Mr Fox. =D>
But it takes some initial investment, money is relatively minor compared to time in this investment of energy which brings me (eventually) to my point.

What are your sloe gin tips? Recipes? Family traditions?
Recipes are everywhere but are there any tips people can share?
No substitute for experience after all.

Cheers now! ccasion5:
Chris

 

[nabs]

tradition has it you are supposed to pop each berry with a pin. I confess I have never bothered - I just put mine in a bag in the freezer which breaks the skins. I did not know there was anything to the recipe other than sugar, sloes and gin - happy to be corrected!

 

[Bm101]

Cheers Nabs. Some people add juniper and all sorts I believe. That's not really my bag. I'm a simple fella. I was more after any hints on weights and measures in proportions really mate. Best sloe to gin to sugar ratios. 8) I'd like to also try a reserve ( ) of sloe vodka. Never had it but it's apparently refreshingly zesty. (hammer)

 

[Rorschach]

I find people are happy to give it away so never need to make any. I do enjoy raspberry vodka though and make that myself, much more to my tastes. I originally made raspberry gin but vodka is cheaper and the gin is just wasted. Get a nice clean raspberry flavour now. Only takes 3 weeks to make as well.

 

[nabs]

ah I see BM - I am not very scientific: half a bottle of sloes, about half as much again sugar and then top up with gin. tbh it just tastes like strange ribena to me so I have never experimented!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Traditionally around here sloes weren't picked until the first frost, usually the end of November to the middle of December. By this time someone had picked them the day before you got there.
By the bye .......... you can use the sludge for making mince pies, just mix it with dried fruit. Minus the stones, obviously. Wear gloves when picking them - blackthorn thorns are evil things - they travel under the skin and infect while you're looking at them.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Damson gin is seriously good, too - if you can find damsons. Use the same quantity of sugar as for sloes. Blackberry gin is good (use less sugar, 'cos the fruit is sweeter than wot sloes is), but blackberry vodka is even better.

Not the time of year (it's a spring speciality), but rhubarb gin is seriously v. good - use white sugar, and only steep the rhubarb for about three weeks or so. Then decant off and enjoy either neat or diluted with tonic water for a very refreshing summer treat.

Trust me - you've started something!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Damson gin is seriously good, too ...

Or bullaces if you can find them. Rocking horse dung.

 

[marcros]

ah I see BM - I am not very scientific: half a bottle of sloes, about half as much again sugar and then top up with gin. tbh it just tastes like strange ribena to me so I have never experimented!

I do similarly. half to two thirds of a bottle of sloes, an inch and a half of sugar, fill with gin. I also freeze the sloes rather than prick them. I drink it with tonic, so prefer it a little less sweet than I used to

blackberry brandy is worth a go.

I usually use vodka with spare fruit and tend not to sweeten it. wang it in, add the spirit and forget about it. gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, rhubarb (with a bit of orange zest), raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, plums- all have been tried over the last few years. mainly on their own, but sometimes in combinations. I try to get a 43% vodka, "The Best" from Morrisons is reasonably priced. 2 or 3 litres a year keeps the cupboard stocked.

 

[Suffolkboy]

tradition has it you are supposed to pop each berry with a pin. I confess I have never bothered - I just put mine in a bag in the freezer which breaks the skins. I did not know there was anything to the recipe other than sugar, sloes and gin - happy to be corrected!

Same here.

 

[Racers]

I make blackberry gin, about 20 frozen blackberrys a couple slivers of orange and lemon zest sugar and about 3 month in a dark place.
We have 4 bottles at different stages at the moment.

Pete

 

[Shaggy]

A few years ago a guy at work made some "mint vodka" (a bag of extra strong mints and a bottle of vodka, wait till the mints dissolve and drink), that was like drinking alcoholic tooth paste. But he made some Liquorice Vodka which was lovely, if you like liquorice .

 

[Bm101]

Many thanks all. Plenty to ponder. I'm not a huge fan of sweet drinks but I will have a crack at the blackberry gin/vodka and the rhubarb sounds like a deal breaker.
Looks like it's mostly crack on and no hidden secrets. Just wanted to make sure before I put something away for a year to find out I missed a trick.
Strangely for the hedges round here, (these are not ancient Kentish hedges ) me and the Borrowers (my lad n lass, tiny people who accumulate detritus wherever they go) saw this solitary plant, no idea how it got there, very much out of place:

:roll:

 

[nabs]

another vote for rhubarb - one of the best cocktails I ever had was made with gin and rhubarb syrup.

My kids also liked to take a bag of sugar up to the allotment, dip in a broken stick of raw rhubarb and the suck the ends. It is delicious but all your teeth fall out shortly afterwards.

Has anyone ever been successful doing a Rumtoph? I tried a few years ago but my jar had not been properly glazed so it used to seep alcoholic gunk all over the worktop - it did this for months until it eventually went mouldy and I binned the lot

 

[Roland]

My Sloe gin recipe is the same: 1lb sloes, 8oz Sugar, 1pint gin.

We also make raspberry gin. Bottle of gin in a 1gal demijohn with 8oz sugar. Each time you pick raspberries there are always a few that fall apart, or are too ripe to use. They all go in the demijohn. The odd red and black currant find their way in too. Strain off in time for Christmas, and use the fruit to make a trifle.

Our recent discovery is chilli vodka. Not a lot of taste, but a good kick.

 

[treeturner123]

Agree with freezing, much the best idea. We always add sugar to taste as we decant off the sloes. Normal ratio of sloes to gin is just cover and then shake the bottles regularly.

We made a whole load a few years back for our daughter's wedding the following summer where we put it in with Sparking wine. So good my wife and I never got a drop!! 5 bottles of sloe gin went in a flash with god knows how many bottles of fizz

Just frozen our first lot, ready for Xmas again.

Phil

 

[Steve Maskery]

Anybody know where they grow in Kirkby-in-Ashfield? No?
Bummer. Thought not.
I've done rhubarb gin this year, and have blackberry whisky (I think, I can't remember whether it was whisky or gin - I really must label these things) and plum brandy on the go.
But I really want to do sloes, I just don't know where they grow.

 

[custard]

Just keep your eyes open and you're certain to find Blackthorn on a country walk, it's very common either in hedgerows or growing wild in woodland as a stunted, shrubby tree. If you can see some Hawthorn (dead obvious at a distance because of the bright red berries now appearing and getting even more prolific in October) there's a good chance Blackthorn will be nearby. Even without the berries you can easily tell Blackthorn and Hawthorn apart by the leaves, Hawthorn leaves have lobes like a smaller Oak leaf, but Blackthorn leaves are more spear shaped.

Incidentally, you can make Hawthorn berry gin just like with sloes, and you can also make jam from the berries too which you can't do with sloes as it would be too bitter, but for the best flavour from Hawthorn don't pick the berries until after a couple of hard frosts.

 

[nabs]

another way to spot Sloes/Blackthorn (for next year), at least down my neck of the woods (Herts), is it flowers very early.

The blossom is similar to hawthorn but often comes out 4 or 5 weeks beforehand in early April (the blossom come before the leaves). I am not sure why, but wherever I've lived I've been able to find a plentiful supply alongside the edges of playing fields, Recs etc.

As mentioned before, the thorns are vicious and like hawthorn have various unpleasant substances on them that cause a nasty reaction in many people.

 

[Bm101]

Any idea on this tree?
I'm pretty good mostly but this one has me stumped so to speak.