StillSmart

Its this time of the year again i picked 6kg of Sloes does anyone know of any slants on the classic Sloe Gin recipies?

I just think that you are a jammy dodger!
Our own planted Blackthorns have produced around 30 berries, and we have foraged a couple of kilos on away days. Not a lot around these parts.
Why would you want to mess with a Sloe gin?
It is right or it isn't,in varying degrees.
Somethings cannot get better.....

Robert.

6kg wowser.

Good work.

Long, long time ago when I lived in Kent,I wandered into a field to pick Sloes.
"Just picking Sloes" I remarked to the two young farm-hands doing whatever with a tractor.
"'bout £20 a Bushel this year" say's one.
"If I manage a bushel, I'll gladly pay that!" says I, walking off down the hedgerow.
I doubt the chap would have known a bushel from a groat.

Robert.

Do you have a good recipe/method for sloe gin?
72.7374 litres of gin might be a big ask though

I have always done 100% gin 50% sloe 25% sugar with cinnamon & cloves. Prick. Soak. Filter. Drink.

We make a lot but with Brandy and not Gin.
Over the years we settled on using Brandy de Jerez from Tesco because we like both the taste and the price.

3lb sloes (previously frozen to help release flavour and colour)
18 ounces of sugar
3 litres (4 bottles) of brandy.

Put the frozen Sloes, sugar and brandy in a 1 gallon demijon and leave for a minimum of 3 months.

It starts pink and tastes of cherry but turns dark red and tastes of plum with time. A year or more is no problem if kept in the dark. If it starts to go brown then you had best use it up.

Mash wrote:
I have always done 100% gin 50% sloe 25% sugar with cinnamon & cloves. Prick. Soak. Filter. Drink.

Struggling to make Yer maths add up mate, 175% + spice?

I use the recipe given to me back in the days that I claimed to be a Kentish man:

1/2 lb sloes
1/2 lb sugar
1/2 pint of Gin
Nothing else

Back in those days the sloes were pricked. Freezing has the same bursting effect on the skin these days.
Keep in a dark cupboard for as long as possible.
A year acceptable, two better, three ideal.

Robert.

Think bakers ratio.
100% is the primary ingredient.

100% gin.. 1 litre
50% sloe.. 1/2 litre
25% sugar.. 250ml
with cinnamon & cloves.

When I started baking bread I really took to this idea. It is easily scalable when working with random quantities of produce.

I can take your "Bakers Ratio" theory on board.

I will stick with the proportions that I have used for the last 30 years.
How the feck do you improve on perfection?

Added flavourings?

Looks like you have adopted a commercial practice of "stretching" the components of the sloes to make more product?

Hey, if it works for you, it is fine by me.
I know what I want to drink.

Robert.

Easy math that

Zero. I would not put a hoppy brew through a still << sorry couldn't find the smart-arse emoji

It's OK if you don't follow my humor.

I'll follow your lead by leaving your response where you parked it, in the wrong thread..

Speed reading and responding should be used with caution.

Robert.

Now, let's get back to Sloe Gin, and whether we should mess with a majestic tipple?....

Robert.

Might be a bit thin where you are but pretty juicy where I am!



Spent about an hour and a half picking a couple of days ago with 2 kids and a very nifty wife and got this lot, 3kg blackberrys, 1kg sloes and a few apples. We had blackberry and apple crumble tonight that was excellent, sloes are still in the fridge as I dont have any gin in stock...the rest of the blackberrys were drowned in vodka and sugar for crimbo.



Also have 15kg of damsons and another 12kg of blackberry in the freezer so there will be a lot of jam and wine action in the next few months, exciting times ahead!

Pretty tempted by all the rose hips, they are plentyful too.

Rosehip gin ?

Nice flavour Rose, think rose and lemon Turkish
Delight.
On the subject of Sloe Gin . I make a batch every
year. Am now ready to try last years. Think the
secret of this majestic drink, once you get your
recipe right, is patience.