For those who are not driving on hunting days, a hipflask filled with sloe gin or a similar spirit-based liqueur is a must when the weather gets cold and damp. I have used this recipe very successfully to make sloe gin, sloe vodka, damson gin or medlar whisky. The important thing is to make sure the fruit is small enough not only to go into the vessel, but also to get it out again at the end; sloes and damsons can go in whole, but medlars need to be cut up. I wouldn’t recommend trying to eat the sloes, but gin-soaked damsons saved at the end were also very enjoyable.
I use an old-fashioned glass brewing demi-john for this, and the quantities quoted are enough for 1 demi-john. I don’t think it really matters how large a batch you make, as long as the relative quantities are kept correct.
Traditionally people would have pricked every sloe individually by hand to allow the flavour to seep into the gin. This is a very long-winded, time-consuming process, and I find it completely unnecessary. Freezing the sloes and then adding them to the gin while still frozen will cause the skins to form small splits or perforations that serve the same purpose.
Sloe gin is a British, ruby red, gin-based liqueur made with blackthorn fruits known as Sloes.
Sloe’s are sweetly sour, berry-sized, and kind of like plums. They grow wild in the UK and have familiar notes of cranberry and pomegranate.
Ingredients
4 lbs (900 grams) sloes
2 lbs (454 grams) granulated sugar
enough gin to fill the demi-john (allow 4 pints / 2.27 litres)
Method
- Pick the sloes at their peak, put into tubs and freeze immediately.
- Sterilise a glass demi-john, rinse and make sure it is fully dry.
- Remove the sloes from the freezer and load straight into the demi-john.
- Add the sugar to the sloes (I find it easiest to use a funnel for this).
- Add enough gin to at least half-fill the demi-john, swirl to remove air bubbles, and top up to the bottom of the neck.
- Seal the vessel with a bung, shake well, and set aside.
- Shake twice daily until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Leave for at least 1 year.
- Strain the liqueur to remove the fruit, and pour into clean bottles.
Variation
Here’s how to make a classic sloe gin fizz:
1. Fill a cocktail shaker. Add sloe gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Then, fill it with ice.
2. Get shaking! Shake vigorously for about 20 seconds, or until the cocktail shaker is cold to the touch.
3. Strain. Strain the cocktail into a highball glass with ice.
4. Make it fizzy. Top it off with club soda, and garnish with a lemon slice.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!
