My First Sloe Gin

[falafael]

Yesterday i went Sloe picking, i managed to get 5.5lb picked, on saturday, i'll be going again, i know a spot where there's boat loads, however, it seem i will have the sloe first before the Gin, vodka etc.
So, i would like to know that, if i wash and dry the sloes, can i freeze them to use at a later date, and if so, will they still be ok to use, its just that i intend to make a LOT of this stuff, and am waiting for pay day before i can buy all the spirits..

Lastly, Whats the gin/sloe ratio, as i keep getting mixed reports, i will be using demijohns to make it in, also, do i put sugar in as well, some say yes, some say no!!!

Thanks for your help guys
:thumb:

 

[SheyMouse]

Hi falafael,

You can indeed freeze the sloes. In fact some recipes call for frozen one. Also, aside from that, a frozen sloe berry is less messy to puncture as al the juice is frozen (it does make your fingers cold though!).

The ratios are about the same for all the recipes I found on the net. I went with the BBC Food one:
450g/1lb sloes
225g/8oz caster sugar
1 litre/1¾ pint gin

There is also an excellent article on The Cottage Smallholder with the following recipe:
1lb/454gm of washed sloes
4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar
75cl bottle of medium quality gin
Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle
1 small tsp almond essence

Last Tuesday was my first foray :whistle: into making sloe gin, so I cannot comment on either recipe being better.

Of further interest to you may be the results of the "Great Sloe Gin Challenge" on The Cottage Smallholder which is an experiment on which type of Sloe (Fresh, Frozen, Post First Frost) makes the best gin.

I hope this helps.
:

 

[corby_brewer]

The is probably a silly question but what are sloes? :wha:

 

[commsbiff]

sloe berries

 

[falafael]

Thanks for that sheymouse!...tut tut davesiv..thought you'd know that...the sloe berry makes THE BEST drink going, and absolute gem, and already i have enough for 5 litres!!!yippee, more to come..now, i juts need to find some damsons as well!!

Great year for sloes as well, i stayed 2 hours at one bush alone!!!!!
:

 

[CptnCrackoff]

I too found a large supply of sloes down the road!! :party:

I have around 4ltrs on the go, hidden round the house coz 'apparently' my homebrewin takes up too much space!!

I couldnt for the life of me work out why my local tesco sell 1.5ltr gin for ALOT more than two bottles, only 100ml difference!!

(in the end i went value - £7.63 per bottle - i doubt there will be much difference with the end product)

FYI when i drink G+T i only like Gordons (i do have some class)

i will post my sloe gin results shortly after dec 25th!! :lol:

 

[Moley]

Yesterday i went Sloe picking, i managed to get 5.5lb picked, on saturday, i'll be going again, i know a spot where there's boat loads

I hope we might be going out on the boat this weekend, so I will expect to come back with a load.

There seem to be plenty of damsons this year, I have only picked from 2 trees, already have 5 gallons of wine on-the-go from 20 lbs, and a similar quantity in the freezer.

 

[ano]

Yesterday i went Sloe picking, i managed to get 5.5lb picked, on saturday, i'll be going again, i know a spot where there's boat loads

I hope we might be going out on the boat this weekend, so I will expect to come back with a load.

There seem to be plenty of damsons this year, I have only picked from 2 trees, already have 5 gallons of wine on-the-go from 20 lbs, and a similar quantity in the freezer.

Are they the same family? I'd be sick of the sight of damsons having picked 50lb but love damson jelly too much. Have you noticed if most fruits have done well this year? I know a knackered old pear tree has more fruit on it this year than any I've seen before, and whether it's coincidence but the grass didn't stop growing this summer. Maybe it's just me and rose tinted specs but I seem to recall the halcyon days of my youth where I could leave it for 3 weeks over summer and cut once a fortnight but this year I've been out there every flamin week!

 

[pjbiker]

I had a go at it this year. Used 1lb fruit/4oz sugar/0.7L gin. I've found stuff other folks have made has been far too syrupy to drink so may try diluting down with some fresh gin when I bottle it.

 

[bandit081]

Managed to pick 15lb of sloes this year and about 30 lb of damsons, Sloe Gin and Vodka is coming along nicely, Sloe Gin is the drink of the Gods, cant wait to try it!

Just a little tip, 2 weeks before it is ready add a table spoon of Golden Syrup, OMG what a difference it makes!