Sloe Gin vs. Sloe Vodka

[dianajellymaker]

Update! Now that we've tasted (and so have the guests) and compared the batches of sloe gin and sloe vodka made in the summer ...

Taste test results:

DianaJellyMaker: I cannot decide which I like better. They are both incredible.

Everyone else: Loved both the vodka and gin but ... slight surprise is that *all* preferred the sloe VODKA!

What's going on?

[smallblueplanet]

What was the difference in taste? I HATE vodka (whoever said it has no taste is wrong btw, it tastes vile!) and so we made sloe gin (and sloe brandy and sloe sherry and....). Sloe gin tastes fabby!

[dianajellymaker]

I am really struggling to describe it, small blue.

I would say that I can taste more of an alcohol flavour in the sloe gin than in the sloe vodka. Honestly, they are both amazingly good (I would offer to send you some sloe vodka to sample yourself but we made only a tiny amount of it because we expected to be not as good as the sloe gin).

I'm sorry I can't be more descriptive.

[dianajellymaker]

more on flavour

Small blue: I've asked my partner to explain how he compares them and he can describe two things:

1) The sloe vodka has more of an almondy flavour, which is possibly coming from the stone of the sloe. Maybe the vodka is better at extracting this?

2) Whilst the alcohol content is the same, he feels you can taste the alcohol itself *less* in the sloe vodka than in the sloe gin, and the other flavours a bit more.

Of course, this is all based the one (and only) time we've made (and tasted) sloe gin and sloe vodka. The sloes were of the same harvest. The gin was Gordons London and the vodka was probably something very cheap from the local co-op (as it was a last minute thing).

Again, we found both the gin and vodka good - just the unexpected surprise that everyone (but me) liked the sloe vodka even more.

[smallblueplanet]

Thanks for the description diana, I think we'll stick to gin. (Mostly because although I dislike gin, as I said before, I hate vodka!) We're still trying different recipe amounts and times before racking off the sloes. But the batch of sloe gin done in sept and racked for christmas was gorgeous! I'm wondering whether the stuff still sitting on the sloes will taste any different. I'm also wondering what the sloe sherry will be like.

[Two_Sheds]

We made sloe & bullace gin, and blackberry vodka. Interestingly, the vodka needed much more sugar to be palatable. The sloe gin is sublime, like alcoholic Benylin

[terrier]

The sloe gin is sublime, like alcoholic Benylin

Cof! Cof! Can I try some?

I see no one's mentioned my favourite ... Lemon Gin. It's much kinder to the gin and all too drinkable!

[wellie]

I'm taking HUGE notice here as I've got all sorts of Tipples on the go now, thanks Grapes (!) and did Damson Brandy, Gin and Vodka.
Whilst I'm feeding Trousers's Man Flu with Limoncello at the moment, on account of the enormous benefit of Vitamin C of the Lemons, I shall shortly be weening him off onto the Damson Tipples once his Man Flu is 'under control'!

Seriously, I've not sampled the Damson Tipples yet, and will put a brave foot forward this week, purely for your research purposes, naturally....
and so I'll be adding my personal thoughts on the subject here as well in the next week or so?

[smallblueplanet]

Look forward to your 'Tipples review'.

We made sloe gin, sloe brandy, raspberry gin, raspberry brandy, bramble (aka blackberry) brandy, pacharan and sloe sherry, raspberry sherry, bramble sherry from the fruit left after racking off sloe gin & bramble brandy.

Oh we also made a blackberry cordial that was quite nice.

We've tried the 'early' sloe gin and the bramble brandy. Both were extremely drinkable, but the bramble brandy was a touch sweet - the blackberries were at the end of the season so probably didn't need as much sugar.

[Flummery]

I prefer damsons in vodka, sloes in gin and bullaces in brandy - it's all down to personal preference I think. The damson flavour does overwhelm any taste the vodka may have so it tastes more of the fruit. The gin still has a certain 'ginny' component even when soaked with the sloe flavour.