Turn the jar every day for the first week or so to dissolve the sugar and colour the gin evenly. Sign up to our newsletter to receive cocktail recipes, gin news and your exclusive offer! items, Exclusive offers from friends of the Whether you choose to make sloe gin or vodka the method and quantities are the same. WebAnswer: To prepare a jar of Sloe gin takes two or three hours. It mixes wonderfully with tonic water, soda water, Prosecco, Champagne, or even whiskey! Why shouldnt you leave it over 3 months? And finally, gift baskets are so convenient because you can deliver them anywhere you fancy. Rinse and pat down your sloe berries. Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2014. Sloe Gin & slow whisky shelf life? Keep your gin bottles upright if they have a natural cork. The strained gin will keep for up to a year, during which, the taste will improve. Sloes are small wild plums that grown along hedgerows. Just wondering why I shouldnt leave it for after 3 months when it says you can enjoy it as a Christmas tipple. Unopened gin has a shelf life of several years - or even longer. I would really love to try making this. Finally, strain the mixture through some muslin and decant into two clean bottles, and it will ready to serve either on its own or with a mixer such as tonic water. Seal the jar tightly and store it in They are often very sweet. Alcohol in it's true form, rather like sugar and honey, does not 'go off'. When shopping for sloe gin online, read reviews and compare prices to get the best product for the best value. Until very recently, the alcohol content was as low as 15%. Gin: one litre. Its perfect for sipping chilled in the summer or adding to cocktailsits known for being a great addition to champagne or sparkling wines for added complexity! I have never had gin but that is awesome you have your own recipe! You'll also find sloe gin cocktail recipes to help you make the most of it. Sloe Gin & slow whisky shelf life? *By clicking 'get my offer', you confirm that you have read and agreed to our Privacy Policy. The berries add a hint of sweetness, while other traditional ingredients can help give it a tangy taste, depending on the recipe. It should be bursting with a fruity aroma to begin with. Alternative 2: Blackberry & Damson Gin: Damsons are another British fruit that comes into season in late summer or early autumn, and are often at their best in September. Although you can forage for berries to make this blackberry gin recipe, you can also grow your own. If your local stores dont have any sloe gin, dont fretits also available online. Close the jar and give everything a good shake. To make sloe gin, you The main ingredient is tart blackthorn berries, similar to plums and steeped in gin, giving it a unique taste. However, since 2023, the European Union decided that the liqueur needs tocontain at least 25% ABVto carry the name. club, Free Access to member events (coming in Previous. Just have to get those berries before the bears do. Add the sugar and slowly pour in your chosen gin. With juniper as its main botanical, it has more gin flavor than other sloe gins on this list. If you want to pair food with Sloe Gin, try it with hearty and flavorful dishes made with beef or venison. Traditionally, legend has it, sloes were picked for sloe gin after the first frost (like brussels sprouts?). Im not sure it noticeably improves after 2-3 months, but many claim it does. It still holds a boozy strength but with a fruity tone of the blackberries. please click this link to activate your account. Im happy to use a good qualityLondon Dry Gin. Here at Craft Gin Club we regularly get questions from our members about how best to look after the beautiful bottles we send them in our Gin of the Month box. Here comes the science part! If you really enjoy these dark juicy fruits, there are some wonderful hybrid varieties you can grow on the allotment or in the kitchen garden. I have never heard about the gin festival or about sloe gin. Its a type of liqueur made from gin and sloe berries, which are small red fruits similar to plums. of damsons -1 liter of vodka -Sugar First, wash the damsons and remove any stems.Next, cut the damsons in half and place them in a large glass jar. They will also provide much more flavour than those that grow wild. Fancy something different?Check out my other blog:Singaporean & Malaysian Recipes, Copyright 2023 LinsFood | by Azlin Bloor. Traditionally, thorns of blackthorn bushes, but you can use any other thorn too. Sloe berries, blackthorn, or prunus spinosa, is a shrub belonging to the rose family. WebStore the jar in a dark cupboard, shaking once every day until the sugar has all dissolved. Hopefully you found that a useful guide to how to look after your gin. The aroma of Sloe Gin is very different from classic Gin. Given the recent gin revival movement in the U.K., sloe gin has become one of the most sought after drinks served during the holiday season. So what is sloe gin, anyway? Preserving Food and Canning for Beginners, Simple Hedgerow Jelly Recipe for Autumn Berries, Butternut Squash Pie Recipe: The Best Pumpkin Pie from Scratch. If there hasnt been a frost when you pick your berries, you can replicate the frosty effect by popping the sloes in the freezer for a few hours before using. I place mine in a kitchen cupboard. Tagged: gin glasses, Shopping, pink gin cocktails, Tagged: homemade gin, How to, Gin guide, how to make gin, Tagged: How to, Gin-cyclopedia: All about gin, Featured Story, Sign up to our newsletter to receive your exclusive offer*. To make damson gin, you will need: -1 lb. An excellent addition is a cinnamon stick which can be added to the gin at the same time as the sugar. Aged for six months, this tangy drink is less sweet than its predecessors and has a smooth finish. Eventually, some innovative farmers started experimenting and discovered that harvesting them late after the first frost would reduce the sour taste drastically. If its an especially wet summer, they ripen by around mid-late September. Ive never tried to make sloe gin before, but will surely try it after reading this. Reply to this topic; Start new topic; Recommended Posts. Would love to try it, sounds so tasty! You rarely hear about them being used in food or drinks because, unprocessed, they taste rather unpleasant. Thanks for all the info here, will definitely get them online this year. Ive never heard of sloe gin before but this sounds great! You can keep it simple and just stick to blackberries, or, for an added layer of fruity flavour, why not try adding some ripe damsons, raspberries or even apple? You cannot paste images directly. This is an awesome gift idea and perfect for the holidays. Then you must prick each fruit with a needle several times. Lets start with the basics. Its a member of the prunus family, and like its more glamorous relatives, its dressed in white blossom throughout spring. How is Sloe Gin Different From Regular Gin? Rinse the sloes in cold water and carefully remove any stems, leaves and any fruit that looks bad or that floats readily. @lab_interiors_ (on Instagram) is a Craft Gin Club member with a great gin storage solution. When youre ready to bottle it, line a sieve with a clean muslin cloth (or clean j-cloth) and set it over a large jug. Ah, thanks, Ive always wanted to make this, but have never been able to find sloe berries. Fill an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice, Half an ounce of lime juice, plus half an ounce of simple syrup for sweetness. you spend, the more you progress. How to make blackberry gin at home in three easy steps! They are available from September to November, but never pick anything without referring to a good reference book first, and always leave anything youre unsure of. Add your homemade blackberry gin and top up with lemonade. It has a tart, sweet, and slightly bitter flavor. Pick the sloes that have ripened in the sunshine, as these will be sweeter than those in the shade. Pasted as rich text. My husband would absolutely love these. (2023 Ultimate Guide), How Many Shots Are in a 750ml Bottle? As well as enjoying it straight you can add a splash of sloe gin to a glass of sparkling wine to make a foragers fizz, or use it as the base to a fruity G&T. Plus, when buying online, you can treat yourself to something a bit more special than your usual bottle of ginsome of the higher-end sloe gins come in ornate bottles or gift boxes that are perfect for showing off when guests come over. Now you know gift baskets are popular for just about any occasion, right? Now you can stay up to date with all the latest news, recipes and offers. Alcohol in it's true form, rather like sugar and honey, does not 'go off'. Sloe gin is full of antioxidants, which help combat damage caused by free radicals. Make this sloe gin in advance and leave to mature for a richly rounded, fruity flavour. The sweeter the blackberries, though, and the better this blackberry gin recipe will be. Blackberry infused gin is both easy to make and absolutely delicious! Delicious magazine is a part of Eye to Eye Media Ltd 2023, Find it online: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/homemade-sloe-gin/. To me, this is the best way to enjoy the complexities of this very traditional British Christmas/winter drink. Sloe gin, which has a strong flavor, can be used to make pacharan or bargnolino. Sloes are too bitter and sour to eat raw, but taste superb when preserved. Your email address will not be published. members! Many of the berries were too much of a temptation and we would often return with the red stains of our crime around our mouths. Place the jar in a dark place, like a kitchen cupboard. Chin chin. Sloe gin also helps blood flow, preventing blood clots, which can help with heart problems or poor circulation. What a treat. But thats because I like my drinks sweet! members! After that, give the jar a shake whenever you remember. Ive only bought fresh sloes, but frozen sloes are in fact perfect for the job, as you do want to freeze your sloes overnight before using them in your gin. However, it's actually a liqueur of deep red color that packs rich berry flavors. However, dont let it get too warm, or it might oxidise - it wont become unsafe to drink, it just wont taste very nice any more. You can also pick sloes as early as September and simply pop them in the freezer. ), its been a dry, hot summer this year, for a change! WebPut the washed sloes in a bowl and pour over the warm water. Apart from the obvious - taste and looks - the most important one is that Gin is a spirit while Sloe Gin is a liqueur. How to Upcycle old bottles into drinking glasses (6 steps) And thats a wrap! So let's start discovering how it all began. A Christmas Cranberry Gin recipe.