Sloe gin
It’s that time of year again when I need to remember to make the booze in time for the Christmas holidays.
Well actually, it's a bit late because sloe gin always tastes better the longer its had to mature. At least a year I find best. I recently opened a damson gin my Dad made in 2011, and it is possibly the tastiest thing I have ever encountered. You cannot detect the booze and there's no need for any mixer. It's almost like drinking Ribena syrup.
For my non-British friends, Ribena is a blackcurrent fruit juice concentrate we all had growing up.
Sloe gin is a great homemade Christmas gift if you decant it into smaller bottles. People will love it. So much so, they might just do what a family friend of mine did and get the garlic crusher out to extract the last drops of gin from each sloe!
You generally can't buy sloes from the supermarket in England (unless you go to a posh farm shop), so if you'd like to make yourself some you'll have to do a bit of foraging. What you're looking for are blackthorn trees (wiki link), and you can find plenty of them in the average hedgerow whilst walking in the countryside. Do double check on google you've got the correct berries, or it could be disastrous!
Jane and I found this lot near Alderley Edge whilst walking, and I've made note of the location to make it easier for us next time. See QR code on the label!
Method
Now, the BBC have their method (see here). Which is fine and dandy, but here's how my Dad taught me how to do it. I can speak from experience that it's a winner!
Obtain a large 5L mason jar. Fill this up when you're picking the fruit so you know you have enough. Fill it to the top.
Wash and dry your sloes. Also prick them individually with a cocktail stick. If you're a bit late picking and it's past the first winter frost there is no need to do this. I believe the frost breaks down the cell walls and allows better diffusion of booze into berry.
Re-fill the jar with the sloes and fill all the voids with granulated sugar.
Pour over your gin until no more will go in. You may have to wait for the air to escape. Use the best quality gin you can.
Seal and wait (3 months minimum, and ideally at least 1 year). You will need to gently turn the jar occasionally during the first week to dissolve all the sugar.
Enjoy neat or with a mixer such as tonic water.
