Sloe Gin

by

There are few wild treats that can match the sheer flavour explosion and utter delight of sloe gin. It's so easy a monkey could make it (but definitely not drink it!).

The taste of Christmas; sloe gin is utter pleasure. It’s so nice that I’ve figured out different ways to drink it, even in the summer it makes a lovely long drink with some soda. It’s not port, its not wine, it’s not sherry, it’s just its own thing…and I love it.

Sloes appear in the late summer and some years they’ll stay on the tree till January. It’s true that a frost will improve the flavour but in my experience if you wait for that the birds will most likely beat you to it.

One way to simulate this is by placing the sloes in the freezer for a few days. Once you take them out they’ll be all soft and squashy with a better flavour profile.

Quick Recipe Stats

Makes : around 750ml
Prep : 20 minutes
Wait (agonisingly)3 months

Recipe Ingredients

  • 300g sloes
  • 115g caster sugar
  • Drink half a bottle of gin, and you'll have just enough left for this
  • Caster sugar (it dissolves better) but you can use any sugar or even honey

Get the monkey ready

  1. Tidy up the sloes and make sure there's not too many twigs and leaves and dead squirrels. Place them into the empty bottle (if you've frozen them they'll squidge open, if not then pierce them with a fork. Add the gin, then add sugar (use your judgement) it's better to put less than more because you can always add more later
  2. Store in a warm, dry place and give it a good shake every day for the first week or so until all the sugar is dissolved and it starts to take on a good colour.
  3. Wait three months (it's not easy) and it should be ready for Christmas!
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