Sloe gin?

[PrettyCandles]

How do you make this?

Are sloes hawthorn berries? I think I know what a hawthorn looks like - if I get it wrong will we regret it?

And how can you do this sort of thing with other berries/boozes? I've got elderberries in my garden, not enough to preserve, but perhaps enough to flavour a bottle of something?

And finally, I don't actually like gin! What else can I use - or does it perhaps not taste like gin when it's ready?

Sloes are small wild plums - sort of blue/black in colour.
You wash and prick each sloe with a thorn from the bush, put them into a bottle with some sugar and some almonds, top with gin then leave it for a few months. Strain the liquid out into another bottle and it is ready for drinking.
It does not taste ginny as it can be pretty sweet.

There are lots of sloe gin recipes but this is the one we use and it is lovely!

Sloes are Blackthorn rather than Hawthorn berries. An alternative is Damson Gin - I harvested our damsons today so will be making this for the first time this week... you prick the fruit all over then mix with granulated sugar and gin. It doesn't taste of gin (well, shop-bought it doesn't), tastes very sweet and almost port-like.

Vodka.

Blackberry whisky is also very good.

Cherrie. strawberries, raspberries are also good to use.

I think you are meant to wait until the first frost has been before picking sloes.

I googled Sloe Gin, and the fruit are not at all what I thought were sloes! I wonder what would happen if I used the fruit I've seen? Are hawthorn berries edible?

So in theory you can mix any fruit with sugar and strong alcohol, and leave it to macerate? Does it ferment? Will any bottle do, or do I have to worry about pressure building up?

Mmmmmmmmm sloe gin!

I went off gin totally after drinking a bottle of it as a teen. 12 years later, Sloe gin showed me the way

It's much nicer than normal gin anyway.

It's not sloe gin season now though I don't think (maybe someone can put me right?)

I would strongly advise against using random unidentified fruit! Could be poisonous!

You might like this excellent book Food for Free.

You can get the Collins Gem edition for just £1!

yy sloes are ready right now

Pop them in the freezer for a week or so, then shove them into your kilner, frozen - they burst on thawing thus relieving you of the need to prick each sodding sloe hurrah

basic recipe :

450 g sloes
350 g granulated sugar
750 ml gin

Chuck it all in your kilner, pop in a dark place (garage/understairs cupboard), shake daily for a week, then shake weekly for a month then shake when you remember. Strain through a muslin and bottle

Om nom nom

Make it now, be ready for Xmas

HTH