Sloe Gin

I made my first sloe gin in 2006 and did it again in 2007.  Last year I didn't get round to it and recently I realised that I've only got about half a bottle left.  So I decided that I really must make some this year.  The books generally tell you to pick your sloes after the first frost.  I seem to remember that I tried that in 2005 and couldn't find any sloes.  Instead I pick sloes anytime from mid-October onwards and stick them in the freezer overnight.


Yesterday I went out sloe picking.  I had my mind on a couple of spots to try but as it happened I only visited one.  I was amazed at how many sloes were on the bushes - I've never seen so many.  In less than two hours I had picked 4 lbs of sloes within half a mile of my front door.  I'd been planning on picking 3 lb to do two bottles of gin, now I've decided to go and gather another 1/2 lb of sloes and buy an extra bottle of gin.


Basically sloe gin is just regular sloes and sugar steeped in regular gin.  There are all sorts of variations in quantities but I am going with 1 1/2 lb of sloes with 1 lb of sugar to one bottle of gin.  This comes from 'Preserved' by Nick Sander and Johnny Acton, an excellent book.  Any gin will do as the sloes and sugar will dominate the taste of the gin anyway.  I'm using Tesco's blue and white stripey value gin at under £8 a bottle.


The sloes went in the freezer last night so this evening I will get them out.  Then they need to be pricked several times each.  Traditionally this is done with a blackthorn spike, I will be using a pin.  I have heard of someone using a wire bristled brush and rolling it over the sloes on a tin tray.  Apparently this is very quick.  Once pricked the sloes are put into a large container, I use a demijohn, with the sugar and gin.  Then give it a good shake once a day or so to help the sugar to dissolve and leave it for about 6 months to infuse.  Then you can bottle it and leave it another 6 months before drinking it.  However my wife's cousin once drank hers from the container it was infusing in after just a few weeks, she said it tasted fine.  Connoisseurs say that it gets better the longer it's left.  With the bumper crop I've got this year maybe mine will last long enough to find out if they are right.

Update

This slow gin was really too sickly sweet. I have since found other recipes with significantly less sugar to sloes and gin. I must get round to writing about that and making some more sloe gin.