Sloe Gin - Why freeze the sloes first?

[qahtan]

Our house made sloe gin every year when we lived in UK, and if we could find the sloes. started way back in about 1945.
Now as sloes don't grow in Ontario, ;-((((  we can no longer do that, but I do have a friend in Rustington Sussex that always makes it, so when we go back to UK to visit we swap a bottle of duty free gin for a bottle of her sloe gin.... :-))))
 I do have a couple bottles in the fridge downstairs that I should take a look and taste of they have been there a few years.
 Picking the sloes after a frost helps the flavour, a bit like Brussels sprouts and parsnips always better after a frost.
 you may find this sight interesting.. qahtan

http://sloe.biz/pip/index.php?sid=a5a0d3e02638170ace8ec0bbb8d2ca91

[Dudders]

Artyme - The 'basic' formula is 500g of Sloes per litre of Gin - Gordon's Export (43% proof is good!). You need sugar to sweeten it - 8oz of castor sugar is about right; if you opt for a demera sugar try 10oz.

Slow skins are very hard - if you're prepared to wait 2 years don't bother with all the pricking and freezing. However if you want to drink it by Christmas its worth doing - it speeds the whole process up. Once you've got the sloes, gin and sugar into an airtight container you need to 'turn it' daily for the first 2 weeks, then weekly for the next 4 weeks then leave it alone in a cool dark place.

Buy a food grade funnel and some filter paper and pour into clean bottles just before Christmas and enjoy over the festive season

[Eristic]

8oz of castor sugar is about right; if you opt for a demera sugar try 10oz.

That's way way too much sugar unless you really want sickly sweet plonk. The berries are not that hard and only take a few weeks for the juices to leak out.

As for leaving it 2 years, I don't know as mine usually just about make it to Christmas. I'm now looking at 2 lovely rosy red bottles that are at least three weeks old and wondering if they ought to be tested or not.

All I do is put sloes in an empty spirit bottle saved for the occasion, with berries coming about a quarter way up, cover with sugar (3-4oz) and shake daily for a few days until sugar is gone. The only hard part is not opening it.

[peterpiper]

try adding crushed cloves and a couple of cinnamon sticks ,a nice winter warmer

[grawrc]

I came across the answer to this while reading about something else. Apparently waiting till the first frost or freezing gets rid of bitterness in the berries, so much as Qahtan said. Still only "air frost" here but no ground frosts yet.