I think that sloe gin is winter’s answer to summer’s elderflower cordial. A warming winter liqueur, a pretty deep pink purple in colour, with a heavenly fruity, berry plumy taste. It is delicious beyond words, and strangely hard to describe to those unfortunate souls that have never have had the pleasure in drinking it. Sloes are the fruit of the blackthorn, and eaten straight from the tree are really rather disgusting, tannic, bitter and sour. I am forever grateful to the person who first realised that steeping them in sugar and booze would make a divine tipple.
Last week there was a fair amount of twitter chat about the possibilities of making sloe gin cakes and sloe gin flavoured macaroons, it reminded me that my sloe gin post was well overdue.
You can buy sloes from some greengrocers and farmers’ markets (and I believe even E-bay, where at this late stage of the season some are still available) but it is far more fun to forage for your own. Every sloe gin maker will know “their patch” where the best sloes are; and will most likely keep the location a secret. Happily blackthorn is plentiful in the countryside; drive slowly down some country lanes in the autumn and you should find some sloes ready to be picked. Traditionally you pick sloes after the first frost, but I live in central London, and picked my sloes one weekend in early October as I was in the country and saw them. Waiting for the first frost holds the added anxiety that someone else will find “your” sloes first and when you get to your favourite spot there will be none left!
This year there were loads of sloes, the trees were positively overloaded with them. As with all fruit the best and most plentiful are usually at the top and out of reach, I go sloeing with my old school hockey stick for hooking the high branches and pulling them into reach. My father used to put a hockey stick and several tubs into the car at the onset of Autumn so he could pick them when he saw them. Pick loads, you can almost never have too much sloe gin, and can always give spare sloes away, or freeze them.
Some people use many more sloes than I do, but I am fairly mean with my sloes; preferring to make more sloe gin, and the longer you steep the gin, the fewer you need. Save a few empty screw top bottles when sloe time comes around. I use the cheapest supermarket gin, it mellows over the steeping and is still delicious. Some people say you need to prick each sloe, I do not think it is necessary, my top tip is too freeze my sloes, which has the same effect as pricking them with far less effort. Sloe gin is a lesson in patience. Made in mid autumn, it is best left until the next Christmas before drinking. Should you run out of the previous year’s, you can drink it sooner, but leaving it in the bottle to mature for about 14 months will result in an altogether smoother, more delicious tipple.
Preparing Sloes for Sloe Gin
If you are working ahead and going to keep your sloe gin for the full 14 months then whack the sloes into the bottles whole.
Pricking them will sped things up a little but is really fiddly and takes a long time. My top tip is to freeze the sloes before making your sloe gin.
If I picked my sloes well away from roads, and above the height a big dog can cock their leg to, I don’t even bother to wash them.
How to Make Sloe Gin – Step by Step Tutorial
Step one – Firstly take a clean glass screw top bottle and fill to a third, or two fifths with washed sloes. You can add them whole, pricked or from the freezer.
Sloe Gin Ingredient Ratios
In my view there is no such thing as too much sloe gin, and when making it you are limited by the number of sloes you have picked.
- 100g sloes
- 60g sugar
- 210ml gin
- 200 g Sloes
- 120 g Sugar
- 420 ml Gin
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Add the sloes to 70cl bottle
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Pour in the sugar
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Top up with the gin
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Screw the lid down tight and give a good shake
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Store in a cool dark place for at least 6 week, shaking daily for the first week or so until the sugar has dissolved.
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I find sloe gin is also delicious in the summer with tonic water and lots of ice, if you have any left that is.
We also made sloe and blackberry whisky this year – it is currently steeping, if it is delicious then I shall certainly blog it.
meemalee
I can vouch for this recipe – beautiful stuff!
This may be a dumb question – can you eat the sloes afterwards?
Helen
You can eat them, but they are a little tough, and all stone and little flesh.
I have used to to stuff game of various sorts. A recipe will be coming!
meemalee
Oh, that is such a good idea! And makes a change from apricots :)
Kavey
We tried a sip at Sue’s – lovely!
Jacqueline
I have never tried sloe gin, but I am still sitting here and thinking mmmmmm :P
Pamela
Sloe gin is lovely, although I’ve never tried making my own. Must add it to the list for next summer.