Sloe Gin

We made our first batch of sloe gin last September and left it to mature until early January (yesterday in fact!). Sloe gin sounds fancy, but it really was simple to make. I live in an area where sloe berries are easy to find, but if you don't, come Autumn, go looking at farmer's markets/online. Some supermarkets even seem to be stocking them! If you are foraging, the best sloes to use are ones picked after the first frosty night of the year. 

This gin takes around three months to make, but requires very little day-to-day effort. If you decant the finished product into small bottles, it's also an excellent gift at Christmas time.

Sloe berries

This recipe makes around 1 litre of sloe gin. It tastes delicious without tonic, but remember, it's very potent!

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients:

• 1 litre of quality gin
• 450g sloe berries
• 225g caster sugar
• 1 x 1 litre sterilized bottle

Method:

1. Rinse the sloe berries really well, then prick each berry multiple times with a needle/fork. This is time consuming but worth the effort.

2. Place the berries in the bottle and top with the gin and the sugar. Close the bottle and shake to start dissolving the sugar.

3. Place in a dark, cool room/cupboard, and shake every day for around a week. Then shake the bottle once a week for at least two months.

4. When you're ready to drink the sloe gin, filter the gin through a sieve lined with a clean tea towel. Pour into a clean bottle, or multiple smaller bottles and seal.

5. Enjoy!