Autumn is the perfect time to make sloe gin or vodka. Hedgerows are full of ripe, juicy sloes and the delicious fruity liqueur will be ready in time for Christmas. So why not give it a go? It's so easy to make and you certainly won't regret it when, feet up in front of the fire with the wind and snow howling outside, you treat yourself to a warming tipple. Why not try one of the other Allotment Heaven easy recipes?
Equipment needed
2 litre preserving bottle such as show here
Weighing scales
Ingredients needed
1 litre bottle of gin or vodka (no need to buy an expensive brand!)
450 grams of sloes
250 grams of white sugar, whose purpose is not only to sweeten the liqueur but to also extract the maxium amount of juice from the sloes.
Method
1. A few days before you're ready to start put the sloes in a plastic bag and place them in a freezer. This will break the skins.
2. Let the sloes defrost before using.
3. Put the sloes, sugar and gin or vodka into the preserving bottle and seal.
4. Give the contents a thorough shake.
5. Shake the bottle every other day for a month.
6. Shake once a week for the second month.
7. When you're ready to drink (see below) strain clear the liquid into the 1 litre sterilised gin or vodka bottle.
8. Add more sugar if necessary according to preference.
9. The liqueur can be drunk from the third month onward, though will improve with age.
The left over sloes can be used to make jam.
I don't drink but this sounds so tempting I might give it a try next year. It's such a beautiful colour in the jars.
ReplyDeleteanother excellent use for the sloes after gin making at step 7 strain and put back in jar all the sloes and residue add the same amount of sugar as for the gin but top the jars up with the cheapest sherry you can buy repeat as for gin
ReplyDeletebut sloe sherry is a amazing drink
and i always add a teaspoon of ground almonds with the sugar to both the gin and sherry i do not know why but it gives the finished product a much smoother taste the old boyes in norfolk say the almond takes the bite out of the sloe and leaves the flavour
That sounds about the best recycling suggestions I've ever heard. A sherry before Christmas dinner is just about the best taste ever... your recipe suggestion sounds even more tempting, Goriel. Many thanks.
DeleteWhat a great idea, I'm going to try this :-)
DeleteAt a slight tangent, if you've made blackberry whisky by a similar method, don't throw the blackberries out after straining off the liquid - you can get excellent boozy pies and crumbles from them.
DeleteBlackberry whisky? BLACKBERRY WHISKY! How about sharing that recipe with us, WiseOwl. I'm a whisky lover so REALLY INTERESTED! Regards, John
DeleteThanks for this. Am considering switching to vodka instead of gin this year (as i have a bottle nearly full..). Any thoughts on the difference in flavour? I'm trying to anticipate it...
ReplyDeleteHi Eleanor... Both taste so intensely fruity it's hard to tell the difference. They're just delicious!
DeleteRegards, John
Oh my sloe vodka is amazing....doing BlackBerry and strawberry vodka the same way enjoy x
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions, Emma. They sound worth a try. I'll be out and about collecting sloes sometime in the next few days to start this year's batch ready for Christmas. The sloes are bigger than I've ever seen them this year. Thanks, John
Deletecan u use them when still hard?
ReplyDeleteNot recommended, Cobweb. I doubt if the fruity taste will seep out into the vodka. Any sloes you collect now will be hard until the first frost. If you're in the south of England this might not happen until December or January. Just follow step 1 under 'Method' and put a bag of sloes in the freezer for a few days. Regards, John
DeleteI made sloe vodka 2 yrs ago, I added almond essence to the brew, I don't drink alcohol myself but the smell was wonderful, it smelled like liquid bakewell tart, in the end I had to try a very small amount and it was lush, I have to say just that tiny tot made me tiddly, it went down very well as gifts and I have been pestered for more, so this year I am doing it again,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds a great idea, just might try it. Thank you!
DeleteWhere is the best place to store whilst making it ie warm or cool conditions? Thanks
ReplyDeleteNormal room temperature is fine. Mine is currently stored in the dining room. Regards, John
DeleteHi John, I have two kiln jars of sloe gin currently on the go which I made last month. Never tried doing this before so I wondered what is the optimum amount of time I should keep my sloes in the liquor? I have no intention of drinking the gin this year and would like to save it for next year so I can be very patient. Thanking you in advance :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Bex... Normally I keep mine going for a year and the end taste is wonderful. But this year I'm going to try drinking in the same year to see if there's much difference. Additionally, the sloes in Cambridgeshire have been bigger and more abundant than I've ever seen, so I'm hoping they're also more fruity.
DeleteYou can start and drink within three months. So I started in October, I've been shaking the bottle every day, and I'll strain and drink in time for this Christmas.
Hope that helps. Regards, John
Thanks John, happy drinking :-)
Deletelove this recipe.. have it saved and use it for gin and vodka.. just about to bottle up last years crop and make more
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the positive feedback, and glad you're enjoying the recipe. My favourite sipping time is in the week before Xmas. Thanks, John
DeleteNot seen so many sloes in Hampshire this year but managed to pick enough for 1 batch of sloe vodka ! I used to make sloe wine that is lovely too !
ReplyDeleteI think last year was so abundant with sloes, the bushes are having a rest year in 2016.
DeleteLast year my wife and I made vodka liqueur and it was great, but we let the mix mature in the refrigerator. It took forever for the sugar to dissolve.
ReplyDeleteEarlier today, we made 8 1-liter bottles (latched like a canning jar) and placed them on a rack in our apartment's basement storage cage. Is there a danger of the bottles exploding from being at room temperature? T'would be a shame to lose any, not to mention damaging our neighbor's possessions. Thank you, John (from Denmark)
Hi John... I'm not surprised the sugar took so long to dissolve if you kept the mix in a fridge. Did you do that just to ensure no bacteria got into the liquid and spoiled it?
DeleteThere's no fermentation with making a liqueur, since it's purely the absorption of flavouring by the alcohol, so I don't think there's a risk of explosion at room temperature.
Regards, John (And thank you for adding your location... adds interest to the comments).
Hi John, thanks for the quick reply!
DeleteWe kept last years batch in the fridge as my wife had read to do so in one of her old Danish recipe books. I questioned this, but as we all know, "choose your battles"...
I picked another 1½ kilos of berries yesterday to ensure that the bottle rack was fully loaded and look forward to making some marmelade from the steeped fruit. Sounds like a fantastic topping for home made ice cream - thanks for the tip!
Cheers, John
Can i do anything with baccardi, we seem to have about 5bottles in thedrinks cupboard
ReplyDeleteI'd just substitute the gin or vodka in the recipe with bacardi and the results should be fine, Shirley. If anything, the outcome might be better, given the warming nature of rum. Thanks, John
DeleteIam guessing as it isnt stated that the sugar is split equally between each jar
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean. The recipe is for one 2 litre preserving bottle. If you use one bottle, all the sugar goes in that bottle. If you use two bottles and twice the ingredients, you put 250 grams of sugar in each bottle.
Deleteinteresting reads i have thought abut doing this with FREEZE DRIED fruit anyone got any thoughts at all
ReplyDeleteCan't see why it wouldn't work. Give it a try and let us know.
DeleteAnother use for the sloes/damsons left over after taking off the gin/ vodka etc is to cut up fruit, discard stones, drain well and mix into melted chocolate. I put the mixture into tiny cake cases. I think you would have to dry really well if you minded seepage, but I like the taste of the seepage and as I make them to eat within a few days I don't feel it matters too much.
ReplyDelete