Simple Sloe Gin!

One of my favourite times of the year is when the sloes arrive. Not only are they beautiful to see, but they taste great too and I know it won't be long before I can make my favourite sloe gin.

Traditional as it is to wait until the first frost, this year we had an unnatural amount of sloe's appear on one of our hedges. The fruit was so heavy it was weighing down the branches, so we decided to pick them before the mighty first frost.

I always get asked by various people for the sloe gin recipe or asked if I can make them a batch too. I always tell them, it's so easy, you don't need a recipe and contrary to popular belief, you don't need to live in the countryside to be able to make your own sloe gin!

So, first things first, if you don't have access to an abundance of sloe's like we do, you can order them online, delivered right to your door. Next step, place them in the freezer for a couple of hours or even overnight, to simulate first frost and break the skin on the berries slightly. This allows them to release their natural flavours better. This year, like I said, I didn't wait for first frost, so after picking through them and giving them a wash, mine went into the freezer too.

Now make sure you have a few big jars before you start, or lots of little ones, however you want to do it. Next year I must remember to buy one of the huge glass containers with the little tap at the bottom for easier access, but jars will do just fine for now. Split your sloes evenly between jars and add copious amounts of your favourite gin (for accuracy, I filled a large jar with 1/3 sloes and then poured in 500ml of gin).

​​There you have it, seal the jars, wait as long as you can bear and you're good to go. Some people drink their sloe gin after a few months, others wait until next year, it's up to you. Have a little experiment. But before you taste, add a little something sweet, like sugar or sugar syrup. Add to your personal taste; after all, you'll be the one drinking it!

Enjoy!

P.S. It doesn't have to be perfect, I always enjoy sloe gin a little bit more on shoot days when it's a little bit rough around the edges! Like when it appears out of the back of someones car in jam jars!