Sloe Gin
In September, it's time to go foraging for sloes. You'll have seen them in dark clusters on branches all summer long, but it's only in autumn that they're ready to be picked. I tend to eye up a patch during my summer walks, stopping occasionally to press a berry between my finger and thumb to see if there's any give in it. Once you can feel a softness beneath the skin, they are ready. Traditionally, people would wait until the first frost, which weakens the berries' skins, but a freezer these days can replicate that part of the process. If possible, I like to bottle mine up by late September so there's a good three months for the flavour to develop before Christmas. In the days leading up to Christmas, I remove the berries, taste test (adding a little more sugar if needed), and then bottle up the gin into beautiful sloe gin bottles, tied with festive ribbon, to gift to friends and family.
In September, it's time to go foraging for sloes. You'll have seen them in dark clusters on branches all summer long, but it's only in autumn that they're ready to be picked. I tend to eye up a patch during my summer walks, stopping occasionally to press a berry between my finger and thumb to see if there's any give in it. Once you can feel a softness beneath the skin, they are ready. Traditionally, people would wait until the first frost, which weakens the berries' skins, but a freezer these days can replicate that part of the process. If possible, I like to bottle mine up by late September so there's a good three months for the flavour to develop before Christmas. In the days leading up to Christmas, I remove the berries, taste test (adding a little more sugar if needed), and then bottle up the gin into beautiful sloe gin bottles, tied with festive ribbon, to gift to friends and family.
I tend to gather as many sloes as I can/as I can cope with, and let that dictate the quantities, but the recipe below is a good starting point and I have deliberately based it on 1 litre of gin because that is the most economical way of purchasing gin for this recipe. Simply scale up or down, and just make sure you've got enough preserving bottles/jars. Use the best gin you can afford (if on a budget, I find that Waitrose own works well). For ease, these bottles can also be used as the preserving bottles, but remember that you will need to dispense some gin in order to make room for the sloes, so you'll need at least one overflow receptacle. If you use a narrow-necked bottle like a gin bottle, just bear in mind that it will take a bit longer to get the sloes in and out, but I assure you they won't get stuck in there.
Don't throw the sloes away at the end. Freeze them and use them in sloe berry chocolates and bakes. If you don't fancy making sloe gin but want to try the berries in some bakes, head straight to 'January' to find some recipe ideas, including a comforting crumble. You can bake with sloes straight from the bush, from September and into October.
Enjoy Seamus Heaney's poem about sloe gin here.
Before you begin: sterilisation
It's really important to sterilise the bottles/jars. You can do this by putting them upside down in the dishwasher on its highest setting, letting them sit and cool in the steam at the end of the cycle. However, I prefer the oven method. Wash the bottles/jars in warm soapy water, followed by clean warm water. Then, transfer them to a preheated oven (standing upright and apart from each other), at 120°C (140°C non fan) for 20 minutes. Use oven gloves when removing them from the oven and leave them to cool. Do not attempt to fill the receptacles while still warm as this may likely cause the glass to crack.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Don't throw the sloes away at the end. Freeze them and use them in sloe berry chocolates and bakes. If you don't fancy making sloe gin but want to try the berries in some bakes, head straight to 'January' to find some recipe ideas, including a comforting crumble. You can bake with sloes straight from the bush, from September and into October.
Enjoy Seamus Heaney's poem about sloe gin here.
Before you begin: sterilisation
It's really important to sterilise the bottles/jars. You can do this by putting them upside down in the dishwasher on its highest setting, letting them sit and cool in the steam at the end of the cycle. However, I prefer the oven method. Wash the bottles/jars in warm soapy water, followed by clean warm water. Then, transfer them to a preheated oven (standing upright and apart from each other), at 120°C (140°C non fan) for 20 minutes. Use oven gloves when removing them from the oven and leave them to cool. Do not attempt to fill the receptacles while still warm as this may likely cause the glass to crack.
Ingredients
- 1 litre good quality gin
- 650g sloe berries
- 560g caster sugar
Equipment
- Sieve/funnel (I use a funnel that also has a sieve feature, available from wine making websites)
- Large jars/bottles, sterilised
Method
- Wash the sloes in cool water, removing any dirt and making sure no insects are present. Then, put them in a plastic box and into the freezer overnight to simulate the first frost (this will weaken the skins so you don’t have to prick the berries).
- After the ‘first frost’, put the berries and sugar in your preserving receptacle(s) and top it up with the correct amount of gin. Put the lid on tightly and then give it a good shake. The sugar will settle again so, about 10 minutes later, shake it again. Only store it away once all the sugar has dissolved, which might take a few more shakes.
- Store the receptacles on their side in a cool, dark place and give them a gentle shake about once a week for the first month. After that, you can happily forget about them until Christmas.
- After three months, pour the gin through a thoroughly clean sieve, into a large and thoroughly clean bowl. I like to clean all of my preserving equipment in boiled water. Collect the sloes and freeze them for other recipes – they’re full of flavour, and gin, after all!
- Whether you’re using the preserving bottles or some different presentation bottles, sterilise them (see above for instructions) and then, using a thoroughly clean funnel, fill with gin.
- Label and decorate the bottles with festive ribbons, for beautiful Christmas gifts.
- Serve with tonic water and ice for a simple G&T, or use it as the basis for other cocktails such as an apple martini: mix sloe gin, cinnamon, orange bitters and top it up with apple juice. You could even write your favourite cocktail recipe onto the gift label, to inspire your recipient! Or, perhaps a verse from Seamus Heaney's poem? "I drink to you / in smoke-mirled, blue-black sloes."