But please stop, you’ll save yourself so much time. If you follow us on Instagram, you may have seen the last 3 months of 'Sloe School,' where we have been combing the local area for sloe berries to create a sloe gin liqueur for Christmas. Sloe gin is a great drink to prepare in time for Christmas and the long winter months that follow. I've included a lower amount than the sloe gin recipe, increase it if you prefer. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/easy-sloe-gin-cocktail-recipes You can add them whole, pricked or from the freezer. Method Prick the sloes with a large needle in a few places (or squeeze them gently between your fingers). Instructions Add the lemon juice and sugar to a shaker and stir until sugar dissolves. Discard any imperfect sloes and remove any leaves or stalks. Once a day for the next seven days, give the jar a good shake. And if you want to go all-out, give this Sloe gin gravlax a go! Put into a Kilner jar with the gin. Sloe gin is a traditional shooter’s drink and it’s very straightforward to make. Explore › Drinks. You don’t need to wait until the first frost to pick your sloes nor do you need to prick them. Christmas would never be the same without a bottle (or using Vodka depending on your tipple), but Sloe Gin is also a lovely liqueur to drink at any time. Seal the jar tightly and tip upside-down to ensure everything is gently mixed. Ingredients. You want a gin with character, and a strong juniper backbone, that can work elegantly alongside the sloes; for that reason, a higher-quality gin is … However, unlike biting into a ripe, juicy grape will delight, eating a sloe will be a serious disappointment. Put into a Kilner jar with the gin. The fruit is hard and the taste bitter and grainy. I've included a lower amount than the sloe gin recipe, increase it if you prefer. They are small, bluish-purple berries, from the Plum family, resembling blueberries but … Remove leaves and twigs, but you can leave the stalks. Mix the sugar with your chosen alcohol and stir to help the sugar dissolve. I’m sorry if you are of the thousands of people who, every year, will do both and I’m really sorry if you have been doing both for years. More sugar can be added later if the resulting liqueur is not to your liking. Sloe gin is technically a gin-based liqueur, but due to historical prevalence at the time of … Sloe gin is a liqueur made with gin, and sloe drupes, a small fruit that has a sharp, sour taste. Before you race to the kitchen and crack open the bottle of Gin, ensure you have all the necessary equipment below and order any items you don’t have. Sloe Gin recipe. You can add sugar to taste. Sloe gin fizz is a must too. Here’s how… Once you’ve picked your sloes, we suggest this homemade sloe gin needs at least three months to mature, so is best enjoyed in January (well they don’t call it slow gin for nothing). Here’s how to make it for yourself. Close the jar and give everything a good shake. https://www.countryfile.com/.../the-perfect-sloe-gin-recipe Wash and allow sloes to dry on draining board. They should be a rich dark purple and should squash easily between your fingertips. Firstly you need to start collecting your sloes. The skins should split which means you should be able to avoid pricking the berries. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t necessary to add sugar at the beginning. 4. Ingredients Wash the sloes in warm water, and remove (or drown!) Freezing sloe berries helps to break down the skin, ensuring that the flavourful juice can steep into your gin more easily. We asked sloe gin experts SloeMotion, a small family run business who have been producing the drink since 2002, exactly how to make our own. However, the European Union has established a minimum of 25% ABV for sloe gin to be named as such. When it comes to gin, we need a Sloe hand. Weigh the sloes, then measure a pint (475 milliliters) of gin (or vodka) and 8 ounces (225 grams) sugar per 425 grams of fruit. Pick sloe berries from the hedgerows from late September to early October. Pour in the sugar and the gin, seal tightly and shake well. It's not really a recipe, more just a loose set of instructions. We asked sloe gin experts SloeMotion, a small family run business who have been producing the drink since 2002, exactly how to make our own. Do not through the sloes away, they have absorbed lots of sugar and the alcohol so a shame to waste them. Pour the gin and add the sugar directly onto the frozen sloes.