The actual process and recipe for making Sloe Gin is relatively easy. Find Sloe berries, put them in a jar with sugar and then top that off with gin. It’s finding the actual Sloe berries and choosing the right jars to put our gin in that proved to be a challenge when we first began this mammoth task (yes, I am being dramatic, but a little drama never hurt anyone).
We searched high and low, far and wide. Looked on every bush, shrub and hedge within a five-mile radius. But alas…no Sloe berries. So, we made a brave move. We doubled our Sloe berry search radius. This was a risk that certainly paid off, because ten miles away from where our journey began, we struck Sloe berry gold! (we found the little rascals in Stoke Park Guildford)
Our gin is now sitting in the pantry and will be ready to start drinking in February. Now choosing the kind of jars to present our gin in is a whole other debacle that I will save for another time. But for now, if you would like to follow in our footsteps and make your own homemade Sloe Gin then check out the recipe we used down below!
Ingredients:
- 500g ripe sloes
- 250g golden caster sugar
- 1 litre gin
Method:
- Rinse and pick over the sloes, then pat dry in a clean tea towel. Using a stainless steel fork or cocktail stick, prick the sloes and tip into a 2-litre Kilner jar, or divide between two smaller jars
- Add the sugar and gin, then seal the jar. Shake well. Once a day for seven days, give the jar a good shake. Store the jar in a cool, dark place and leave for two to three months.
- Line a plastic sieve with a square of muslin set over a bowl and strain the sloe gin through it. Decant into clean, dry bottles, then seal and label. The sloe gin is now ready to drink but it’ll improve and mature over time – so, if possible, make it one year to drink the next.