Early Autumn. That time of year when LITERALLY EVERYBODY starts banging on about Sloe Gin.

Yep, even me… my apologies…

But I’m hoping - because no, I’m not daft enough to promise - that you will learn something new from this. If you make Sloe Gin already, maybe you’ll change how you go about it, or at least think about the process a bit more? Perhaps you can slightly alter what you do now to get a better flavour going forward? And if you’ve never tried making it before, why not try a different way to the norm? Because as knowledge moves on, we change and adapt our habits.

…unless you’re still going around in one of those foot-powered Flintstones-style cars…?

And what do you do if you fancy trying something with Sloes, but just don't like gin? Just substitute it out. Sloe Whisky is particularly tasty IMHO, and Sloe Brandy also works well too, especially so if you throw a few Crab Apples into the mix. But both need to age well, for a minimum of six months. If you want quicker results, go with vodka - it gives a more vibrant, clear flavour that may just be ready for Christmas. Although it would absolutely be better aged until next year too.

The Recipe

Absolutely paramount to the creation of the best homemade Sloe Gin (or whatever) are the ingredients.

**The Sloes**

To start with, and of utmost importance, your sloes need to actually be ripe. At some point in history, it was deemed important that sloes had gone through a hard frost before harvesting. But that was never the important thing. The key point was that historically they ripened around the same time as the first frosts. And those frosts helped soften the skins, so the flavours were better.
But with the weird weather we have nowdays, that is no longer the case. However some people still think you can harvest sloes whenever and simply stick them in the freezer for a week or so.
It doesn't work. It's akin to harvesting an unripe apple in June, and keeping it in the fridge. Then harvesting another from the same tree in September/October, eating them both, and expecting them to end up tasting the same. It's never going to happen.
Seriously, only pick your sloes when they have a bit of give when pinched gently between thumb and forefinger. Before that, they'll just be woody and sour, full of tannins and with barely any natural sweetness. You'll end up with cough syrup. And absolutely don't pick your sloes in July and freeze them, like some people I saw this year...

The Gin

Don't go cheap. Please. So no supermarket ‘Value’ own brands, unless you absolutely know what you're doing, or are working to a tight budget. Just buy the cheapest of the commercially available brands* - I normally pick up whatever is on offer.

*apologies to any quality spirit producers out there. But if you're going to buy their good gin, you may as well throw a few extra pounds their way and buy their own branded Sloe Gin, which they probably make as well. You won't regret it.

The Sugar

Basic white sugar is fine. But I put it in at the end, not the start...

My reasoning behind this is that when you put it in at the start, the natural sugars in the sloes can't escape - do you remember the osmotic process from school? And those natural sugars are tied to a lot of the flavour components, so if you sweeten at the start, you actually end up with less flavour.

The Process

At its most basic, my normal recipe is as follows:

Put your sloes in a jar, filling it to about half way.
Pour over your gin so that it covers the fruit and reaches the top of the jar.
Leave it to infuse, somewhere dark, agitating occasionally to help with the infusing.
Strain off the fruit.
Add simple syrup to taste.

That's it. If you have the patience, leave your Sloe Gin to settle for a few months extra, so that the flavours round out and any harshness will mellow, before enjoying with friends... if you like them enough...

The Longer Version

To speed up infusion, the sloes can be pricked all over, like in days of old, when a silver darning needle was used. Or frozen, to make the skins split. Personally, I just mash them up a bit in the jar with the end of a rolling pin. Unless I’m feeling heavy-handed on that particular day, in which case I’ll stick them in a plastic bag, and give them the once over with the rolling pin.
Cover with your gin, or whatever other spirit you choose to use. Some people add a few cracked almonds to add a bit of depth of flavour, but the same result can be achieved by cracking a few of the sloe stones.
Many people will leave the gin over the sloes for just three months. I prefer a minimum of six months if I'm honest, for a greater complexity of flavour. In fact I have some at home where the sloes have been infusing for over two years, just to see the results - see the bottom picture. It's being cracked open this winter.
But for a real speedy cheat, put your infusing jar in the boot of your car, making sure its wedged upright to stop any leaks. The constant motion as you drive will really get the flavours through the spirit much quicker.
The strained fruit can be sieved to remove the stones, and then used over ice cream as a simple dessert. Or mixed into jams for extra depth of flavour. In the past I've even frozen it in small quenelle and then dipped them in melted chocolate to make a delicious Christmas treat. Although you may want to sweeten your sieved pulp before doing this.
A simple syrup is just equal parts - by weight - of water and sugar. Place the mixture over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved, and then leave to cool. Then add slowly to your strained spirit, until it reaches the desired level of sweetness.
I often do this of an evening, especially if I’ve made up a particularly large batch. I put a measure of perhaps two teaspoons of my infused spirit into a glass, add a measure of simple syrup, taste, and then adjust accordingly. It’s surprising how many friends suddenly feel qualified to offer their opinion once this stage in the process is reached…

And that’s it really. The longer you age your strained Sloe Gin, the smoother, more balanced and better rounded out your flavours should become. Or just invite some friends over the night after you’ve strained it and neck the lot between you. And then spend the whole of the next day trying to work out if you really did drink the equivalent of a litre and a half of Sloe Gin each…

For me, the best bit about passing my knowledge and ideas to others is when I get to see it put into practice. So if you do try out your own version of any of the ideas you've seen in my posts, please share them with me on social media, tagging @cotswoldforager