Sloe Gin

[Bel]

Hey....thanks Doris....will do  ;)

[Bel]

[summergirl]

You're all making me jealous!  We usually do some, but didn't find time to go picking so none done this year. 
Supplies are now all gone  :(
Haven't tried damson, but sounds goood.. ;D

[tim]

Reckon if damsons were free, no one would  use sloes?

[Mrs Ava]

Our damsons were free, well, ish, just cost me a bottle of the finished brew and I still have 2 carrier bags full in the freezer!  Damson gin has a more......cherry brandy scent to it I think, but they are both wonderous!

[tim]

Ooooh! The folk that can afford Cherry Brandy!!

[Hex]

Daft question - but how long do the Sloes survive in the freezer for?  I forgot I had put some in last year after I realised someone had drunk all the gin.

Miss Read (Country School etc) recommended freeziing them as they burst when they defrost so you dont have to pop them.

[tim]

They'll be fine!

Like I've just used last year's Sevilles for marmalade.

[wardy]

I love scavenging in hedges etc for fruits and nuts and stuff.  There's a lovely blackthorn hedge near me so when I get back to taking my doggy a walk I'm going to get some.  Not been rummaging in hedge bottoms lately and feel in need of a fix

Going to chiropracter again this morning.  Had a bad day back wise yesterday but ok this morning.  I'll probably have a relapse as soon as I get the Hoover out  ;D

[alotalot]

A great summer drink is sloe gin and tonic :P

Wait for a hot day, take a tall glass, put in plenty of ice, a good slug of sloe gin and top up with tonic. Delish ;D

It travels well in a thermos flask too so you can look forward to a well earned break from all that weeding.

[derbex]

Second that alotalot.

Wardy -hoovers (or dysons as perhaps we should now call them) are the curse of satan if you've a bad back. I'm sure that Mr Hoover was a chiropracter short of business.

Jeremy

[Mrs Ava]

oooooo, never thought of mixing it!  And you have reminded me I have a sack full of damsons lurking in the bottom of the freezer...note to self, add a couple of bottles of gordens onto Thursdays shopping list!  ;D

[JohnnyLarge]

I make some cracking sloe gin using this easy recipe.

9 oz sloes
4 1/2 oz sugar
1 pint of gin.

Put sloes in a demi-john and nick them with a knife or finger-nail as you put them in.
Add the sugar.
Add the gin.
Give it a good shake/swirl and repeat every day until 10 days before Christmas.
Bottle it Christmas week. Just siphon off the gin and melt the gin infused berries into chocolate and let it set.

I make 3 or so bottles worth in a demi-john. I like mine not too sweet, so I use slightly less sugar and a few more sloes.

This is a dead easy way to make sloe gin.
ATB
John :P

[Mrs Ava]

I tried putting the sloes in choccy but none of us liked them!  Ended up making sloe gin jelly to have on our toast, which was delish!  ;D

[Marianne]

Johnnylarge - that sound absolutely delicious!!
:P

[flowerlady]

How long will Sloe gin keep?  Seem to have accumulated several bottles. ;D

Consumption at the moment is not keeping up with annual gift from the family!! 

[Doris_Pinks]

Years Flowerlady! ;D

[flowerlady]

Oh goodie!  Was most concerned  ;)  I thought I was on a mission!

Sadly OH can't drink much at the moment, is on long term pain killling patches.

[Doris_Pinks]

but that leaves you to take on his share too! ;D  ;D  ;D
(Flowerlady last seen under the kitchen table! ;) )

[flowerlady]

DP what do you do with the remaining fruit? 

Do you think they might make an fruit pie?  Are they suitable to be made into jelly, what happenes to the pectin while stewing in gin?

[jennym]

DP what do you do with the remaining fruit? 

Do you think they might make an fruit pie?  Are they suitable to be made into jelly, what happenes to the pectin while stewing in gin?

They make a decent jam, jelly or cheese. As long as you don't heat the sloes, and they are pretty ripe, there isn't really a problem with cloudiness due to pectin in sloe gin.