Froot drinks that float yer boat?

Not exactly sloes(in fact not sloes at all!)I put a dozen or so coffee beans in a bottle of rum a couple of months ago and have just had a sniff and a taste--absolutely gorgeous!!

8 oz damsons, (prick them once with a needle) 4 - 6 oz sugar - depends on your taste and how ripe the damsons are.
Bottle vodka. Mix well, shake for a month or two. Strain off fruit. Really nice.

Hmm I think we're alcoholics!

Have just made another batch of sloe gin, but also gonna be trying some raspberry gin and raspberry brandy and sloe brandy!!!!!!

Using the sloe gin recipe but replacing fruit/spirit as by drink title. Hic.

Just started some bullace brandy. I made it last year but didn't make enough! 2 bottles this year.

Been reading sloe.biz site for more recipes. Found one for pacharán or patxaran (in Basque) . Its an anise spirit version of sloe gin.

We'd got some ouzo left so we tried it with our left-over sloes! We added sugar as we didn't have sweet anise spirit. All the english recipes seem to say add coffee bean and vanilla but I checked on the spanish wikipedia and there are different variations....

Here's how good it is for you!!!

Organolépticas characteristics - They will pacharán Navarrese must be red or pink intense. If he appears cloudy or with posos it means that one has not filtered correctly. The brightness is youth signal, and the opaque tones of oldness. It has to have intense aroma and afrutado and the scent to alcohol is not due to notice.

Nutricionales and Medicinal values - The endrina (sloes) contains vitamin C, is tonic, astringent and fortifies the stomach. The flowers of the shrub are diuréticas and smoothly laxative when they are used like infusion. These are the medicinal properties of will pacharán, that turn out to be good for the stomach, to alleviate the excuses of the oldness and to prevent the arterioesclerosis and the infarct. In addition, it acts like sedative on the nervous system.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachar%C3%A1n

Here's a babelfish translation -

Pacharan Recipe

250g of endrinas (sloes), if possible mature are necessary
1 liter of sweet anise.
They are macerated during 7 or 8 months in a fresh and dark site...one filters and it is bottled. Also a leaf of laurel or grains (beans) of toasted coffee can be added in the period of maceration, to give a special touch him.
Added others during the maceration, very used in some regions, are flowers of manzanilla or cinnamon in branch (piece of bark).

We added a cinnamon stick as we have no coffee beans. And sugar as ouzo is dry not sweet, would really like to try a go with anisette (sweet anise) next year.

Oh yes! I really need something to alleviate the excuses of the oldness.
This is lovely! Thanks Manda.

Lol! I too wondered how much I had to drink to 'alleviate the excuses of oldness' Flum!

Here's what the posh stuff looks like - http://www.licoresbaines.com/textose/pacharan2.html

Well we've come home from Crete with two bottles of ouzo, and have just picked some sloes - so gonna make some Pacharan again. The small amount we made last time was very nice indeed.

Has anyone else tried it?

Never tried Pacharan Manda, but have heard of the sloe Pastis/aniseed type drink you mentioned.

Rhubarb schnapps? Sloe Vodka? (same as gin but .....)
Plum brandy?
Cherry brandy?

Hmmm, not saying my productive fruit garden is going to cause me liver problems but....

I found a recipe for elderberry vodka somewhere on the internet and since I've been in something of an elderberry frenzy lately,I decided to try it.

Elderberry Vodka
4 cups fresh elderberries, picked over and washed
2 cups sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup water
3 cups vodka (use the cheap stuff)

Crush the berries and sugar in a bowl and leave to stand for one hour. Add the zest and juices. Transfer to kilner jar and add vodka and water. Age in a cool dark place for one month, shaking occasionally. Strain and filter. Transfer to final container and age for another month before serving.

I used a small teacup because I don't have any measuring cups here (and it doesn't specify what type of cup anyway). This used practically all of a 70cl bottle of Tesco Value vodka and the whole lot has filled, to the brim, a large kilner jar (I think it's 1.5 lt, though it could be 2 lt - how unhelpful! ). I also left the sugar and elderberries in a freezer bag overnight so the whole lot was a liquid mush the next day. I emptied what I could into the kilner and rinsed the bag out with the cup of water. The stuff in the kilner looks AMAZING. No idea what it will taste like but it's doing its stuff in the cupboard under the stairs and hopefully turning into something delectable...

I'm going to try this with blackberries - should be a bit good!

[ours is gonna be (might alter the sugar ratio when it comes down to it! )]

Pacharan recipe

70cl ouzo (or anisette)
300g sloes
200g sugar (leave out if using anisette, it's sweet and ouzo isn't)
2 sticks (4") cinnamon

Leave for about 8 months (its left longer than sloe gin).

Found Hugh's Haw brandy recipe so will be trying that too.

Haw Brandy

450g haws
225g sugar
600ml brandy

1) Pour alcohol into bottle, followed by fruit then sugar. Give it a good shake until all ingredients are well mixed.

2) For the first week shake the bottle to stop the sugar settling to the bottom. After that shake on a weekly basis and taste after 8 weeks. Once it is ready for drinking filter through some kitchen paper/coffee filter. Enjoy!

i've been given 3.5lb Damson's & 5lb of plums today, fancy having a go at fruit alcohol of some kind. Probably Damson Gin & Plum Vodka, can anyone recommend a recipe for Plum Vodka please?

What I have seen on sale (never tried it) is Plum Whisky.
The 'usual method' is good enough for most fruit.
Large jar, loosely filled with fruit (skins slightly broken, eg with needle, for plums and similar) pour over sugar to 'cover' (but not enough to fill all the spaces between the fruit).
At this point I leave it in the warm for 48 hours, and then there is a fruity syrup starting to appear. Fill jar with appropriate 'spirit'. Leave it alone for weeks or months (depending how hard the fruit was).
Strain and bottle. Ready to drink!
Wondering whether to make a Strawberry Vodka with some of the reduced price Stawberries I bought when shopping last night, have I got suitable jars, other than the ones I need for sloe gin?