Sloe Gin

[Flummery]

They look great - what a gorgeous gift. I like the bottles. I use those third size wine bottles.

[moggssue]

What lovely looking presents, I bet they'll be very well received.

[OllieMartin]

Hmmm, every recipe says a different amount of sugar, from 8oz per lb of sloes, to 30oz.

I went with the 12oz frost recommended.

I'm trying sloe gin (which my mum has always made and I've always stolen!) and sloe vodka, will see how they turn out.

[cupcake]

I've just picked 1lb of sloes from our hedge, perfectly ripe! I shall put them in the freezer and get some gin when I do the shopping tomorrow!

[kirsty b]

I've got sloes and bullaces in the freezer just waiting for me to buy some gin. Got some brambles too so I can so some vodka with them.

[Hilary B]

Freezing helps release the juice from the fruit too. I have 2 jars of sloes with sugar and gin, and 2 jars with just sugar (gin to be added later today)
Last year's 4 jars made about 1½litres of sloe gin.
Also got some strawberries 'soaking' in sugar. Plan on straining off the syrup and blending with vodka.

[eye1der]

Is it possible to make SLOE VODKA???

ive made some damson vodka
put pricked damsons into a demmijohn to 4" from the top add 2 tbs granulated suger top off with vodka, put a top on it and shake once a week. did at the end of august so will be ready for crimbo...

[Matt.]

Do you drink sloe gin on its own or with a mixer? I made some a week or so ago and tried a tiny bit yesterday. It was bloomin awful just like neat gin! It wasn't sweet as I expected so I wonder if I need to add more sugar? I know it needs to mature until Christmas but if yestrdays tasting is anything to go by it will be just pink G&T

[OllieMartin]

Do you drink sloe gin on its own or with a mixer? I made some a week or so ago and tried a tiny bit yesterday. It was bloomin awful just like neat gin! It wasn't sweet as I expected so I wonder if I need to add more sugar? I know it needs to mature until Christmas but if yestrdays tasting is anything to go by it will be just pink G&T

I like to mix it into a Sloe Gin Rickey:

Ice
1oz Sloe Gin
1oz fresh lime juice or lime cordial
Fill with lemonade
stir

Went to a house party a while ago with a couple of bottles and took pink lemonade with me, that way I knew I'd have a supply all night as who else would choose pink lemonade!

[Hilary B]

Do you drink sloe gin on its own or with a mixer? I made some a week or so ago and tried a tiny bit yesterday. It was bloomin awful just like neat gin! It wasn't sweet as I expected so I wonder if I need to add more sugar? I know it needs to mature until Christmas but if yestrdays tasting is anything to go by it will be just pink G&T

How long did you leave the sloes soaking in the gin? I wouldn't consider it 'made' until Christmas, from this year's sloes.

[Two_Sheds]

Right. Sloes picked, gin bought, demijohn sterilised: guess what I'm doing today?
Sloe Gin Recipe Page

[organic]

You're using a demijohn?
I'd have thought gin bottles or kilner jars or something would be a bit more straightforward (and a lot easier to clean up after!)

I've got maybe 5kg (11 lbs) or more of the things... gonna be making wine, gin whiskey and maybe some sort of jelly/preserve/thing of some sort with the leftovers if I decide I've made enough aloholoic beverages.

[Two_Sheds]

I'd have thought gin bottles or kilner jars or something would be a bit more straightforward

nope: one 5 litre demijohn is much easier to fill, shake and eventually clean than 6 individual gin bottles

[organic]

Easier to if just filling and shaking? I'd be more than likely to just recycle the bottles after as more will be inbound for the next batch of gin.

I've never made the stuff before so not speaking from experience here, but still kinda leaning towards jars.

[Skotch]

Can I make a suggestion?

Rather than using ordinary granulated sugar, try a batch of sloe gin using light soft brown sugar - it gives a deeper colour and a more 'toffee' flavoured end product which mellows with time. Some 3 year old sloe gin I still have is absolutely gorgeous using brown rather than white sugar.

Skotch <hic>