Sloe Gin Recipe

2017, I’d finally made it to England in the deep of winter. My friend Chanon was hosting me and another friend the night before a big photoshoot we’d be doing the following day at a manor house in London. We’d all met the summer before in France for a Portrait masterclass. She knew all the in’s and out’s of the city and was a great tour guide before we settled in for the night back at her house. We met in the kitchen in our jammies with hot mugs of tea and the coals hot in the fire. At some point Chanon brought up sloe gin. I think I’d heard of it, but never tasted it so of course she offered to serve us. It was a delicious and ripe in flavour and a beautiful cranberry red. This was right up my alley as it’s something I could make on my own… If only I knew what sloes were or where to find them of course! The next step would be finding or creating a sloe gin recipe.

Well I did find them eventually! I caught sight of clusters of dusty blue berries along the forest and I knew I’d found them. Still, I waited a year. I was in no rush to make any mistakes in my foraging. But after being absolutely certain, I dove in… Only by the following year I’d forgotten where I’d seen them so I had to content myself with a little crop I found closer to home in a public park. I’m pretty sure there were many curious onlookers as I picked the fruit from strange plants they didn’t recognise. I tried not to think too much about any possible judgement and kept on picking!

Getting Started

Now I make it year after year, and thankfully I’ve finally re-discovered the wooded area full of berries. Far more than I could ever need. In France they’re called “prunelles” and like England where they’re known as blackthorn bushes, they line the hedgerows with berries between September-December. For the best flavour, you’d wait until after first frost if the birds haven’t devoured them yet. The other option is to pick them a little earlier and pop them into the freezer at least one night after having given them a rinse, this also allows the fruit to burst in the gin more easily. Just be sure to note, these are a thorny plant, so be careful. Also, these aren’t berries you eat raw, they’re too tannic and astringent so don’t bother trying.

This year, I was fortunate that while I made a few bottles early in the fall, fruit was so abundant, I went back in December. It was a very chilly and foggy day and the berries were bursting on the branches. How they hadn’t been picked over by the birds I fail to understand but I think we’ll be happy to have lots of this to share for next year. You’ll need a little patience while all the flavours mingle, but you will be richly rewarded. Hope you love our sloe gin recipe and be sure to share it with your friends!

If you love this and are looking for more ideas for your homemade tipples check out my recipe for Rhubarb Gin or Elderflower Cordial (non alcoholic)

Christina (Vine and the Olive)

Sloe Gin

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Maceration time 90 days d

Course: Drinks

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 475 g sloes
• 250 g sugar
• 750 ml gin

Method

 

1. Rinse off your sloes and if you have the patience take off any stems that may still be attached
2. Pop your sloes into the freezer overnight to ensure any underripe berries get a "frost treatment"
3. In a large sterilised jar (I use a 2 litre jar from le parfait) place your sloes, cover with sugar and finally a whole bottle of gin. Give it a good stir
4. Your gin needs to remain in contact with the fruit and sugar for 3 months in a cool dark place (like at the back of a cupboard) If you think of it, you can give the jar a good shake from time to time.
5. After 3 months, strain off the fruit and bottle your sloe gin. This is perfect in a cocktail or even very simply over ice.