Sloe Gin help please

[noviceveggrower]

Hi,
One of my fellow plot holders has got a sloe tree with plenty of fruit. He has said I can have them as he doesn't use them.

So I was wondering what recipes do people use to make Sloe Gin?

Also what do you make yours in? As I've seen some people make theirs in jars like kilner jars but others bottles with the 'flip tpye' tops.
Thanks

[Scarlet]

I don’t really use measurements...it’s something like a 1kg of sloes to 500g sugar. (2-1)

...three quarter fill the jar / or bottle ( anything glass that you can put the sloes in/out easily - so a wide top is better) with sloes, add half weight of sugar and top up with gin.
I use the same recipe with blackberries/ raspberries (usually filling to the top) though put less sugar in and top up with vodka.

I must admit one year I didn’t add quite enough sugar with the sloes and I had to add more later on because it was a bit sharp

Pick sloes after a frost and prick the skins all over with a fork or the tip of a knife.

[scarey55]

I think it is usually 2-1 sloes to sugar. I use a Le Parfait jar which is similar to a Kilner and just shake it every now and then. If you think you will be beaten to the sloes before the first frost (probably not in your case) they can be picked before the frost and put in the freezer to soften up.

[Small pumpkin]

I do pretty much the same. 1kg sloes 750g sugar. You just have to play around with it see what works for you.
I freeze the sloes. Life's too short to stab sloes.

[veggiechicken]

When you've made the sloe gin and its drinkable, drain off the gin and pour a bottle of white wine over the sloes. You'll have a nice fortified wine as a bonus.

[the big lebowski]

hi,i have this recipie from john wright

280grms of ripe slows
140 g of sugar
about 600ml of gin

put the slows in a 1 liter kilner jar ,pour over the sugar and the gin .close the lid and shake ,store in a dark cupboard,shaking once a day until the sugar has dissolved.

after 3 months-or 6 months or a year - strain out the sloes , using a muslin-lined funnel placed into a bottle .cork and seal your bottle and store in a dark cupboard.wait for a year before drinking (if you can )

hope this helps ,cheers

[noviceveggrower]

I think it is usually 2-1 sloes to sugar. I use a Le Parfait jar which is similar to a Kilner and just shake it every now and then. If you think you will be beaten to the sloes before the first frost (probably not in your case) they can be picked before the frost and put in the freezer to soften up.

How long would they need in the freezer scarey? How long would you leave them? Hoping to have it ready for an xmas present.

[scarey55]

I just chuck 'em in until I'm ready to use them I don't think it has to be for long, just enough to break the skins and soften them. Just looked it up and it says overnight or 24 hours.

[bikermike]

I think you might be leaving it a bit late for Christmas this year - we always allow 12 months for ours.
(we use those bottles that posh lemonade comes in, with the Grolsch-style tops)

[Baldy]

^^^ Nope in my experience you can bottle in September and have something decent for Xmas - longer is better but 4/5 months defo long enough from my trials...

[Two_Sheds]

However long it takes to make, it’s all drunk by Valentine’s

[Stan79]

Make now and into September and will be ready for Christmas.

Cup of sloes to cup of sugar, into a large empty gin bottle and top up with gin. Shake once per week to speed up the process. Cheap gin is fine. Freezing or pricking the skin with a fork to open it up and let the juices out is essential.

We have lots of funny stories about sloe gin:
- we were making small bottles for wedding favours and our kitchen looked like a meth lab when a policeman knocked on the door and asked to come in to warn us of an operation that was going to happen watching one of our neighbours... he was a bit surprised about the sight in the kitchen!

- friends dogs pulled the newspaper out of the bin that contained the sloes after bottling... they ate the sloes and were pissed as newts lying on the sofa in the lounge and sprawled across the floor absolutely off their heads!

- my mum gave my grandma a bottle in September one year and told her to shake it once a week. Christmas comes around and my mum asks how the sloe gin is getting on... her mum flushes bright red and refuses to answer so my mum persists, worried that there's something wrong with it. Eventually my grandma admits that every week when she took it out of the cupboard to shake it, she had taken a sip to see how the flavour was developing and had finished the lot by November!!!

[Jay22]

Is this not just a waste of gin!

[bikermike]

not if you do it right...
try a slug in a glass of sparkling wine...

[veggiechicken]

Lots of sloes around this year. Drove along a country road yesterday and it was lined with sloes, elder and blackberries. Plenty of hazel nuts too.