Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Homebrew => Topic started by: Aled on October 22, 2014, 15:08

Title: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Aled on October 22, 2014, 15:08
Hello All
Mine is nicely fermenting and will be ready in time for the fishing season in April. After decanting the sloe gin, i take a cheap bottle of sherry which i add to the sloes and leave for a month. A very nice sloe sherry follows!
Cheers
Aled
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: mumofstig on October 22, 2014, 15:11
I often make sloe vodka but not this year  ::) I found a bottle of the 2013 at the back of the cupboard, so didn't bother.

I really don't understand how that happened  :wacko:  ::)
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: ghost61 on October 22, 2014, 15:38
Sloes ready for picking already?  Usually don't pick until next month, so I am way behind if they are ok for picking.  I always wait for a frost for some reason, and don't touch the gin for at least a year.
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Baldy on October 22, 2014, 18:13
Round here it seems you need to pick them from start of September - at least from the well-known places. We left it till the end of September and the bushes were bare. Could be the case that they ripen here a little earlier than elsewhere?
 Luckily, we scouted out a slightly harder to reach bush and got enough for 2* litre bottles which will (just about) do.
I found freezing them was a lot easier then pin-pricking them - worked well.
There was an amazingly tempting bushload in the middle of a bramble/ditch/embankment - I would have gone back with a 20ft ladder if we'd not hit it lucky.
Anyhow, the bottles should be ready for XXMas 2014 (a few quarter bottles going out as gifts). I'll probably do 'slider' again this year but not the sloe port (using brandy) which didn't turn out too well last time.

Hic hic,
Balders
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Aled on October 23, 2014, 09:51
Well i left it a bit late last year so maybe i was a bit over zealous this year.
May make another batch if i feel inspired!
Cheers
Aled
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Dilly Dom on October 23, 2014, 11:18
Noticed that the sloes round here are huge this year :)
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Auntiemogs on October 23, 2014, 11:30
I often make sloe vodka but not this year  ::) I found a bottle of the 2013 at the back of the cupboard, so didn't bother.
I really don't understand how that happened  :wacko:  ::)
:ohmy: :nowink: :lol:
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: sunshineband on October 23, 2014, 14:27
I like the sound of using the sloes again for sloe sherry Aled  :D

There is a definite dearth round  here this year, but I do have some in the freezer still from last year so will dif them out  :D
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Baldy on November 05, 2014, 19:00
ok - so with the post-gin sloes I've made slider in the past - was pretty good.
Sloe sherry... hmm... 'Danger Will Robinson'  ;)
Any other things that work well with the 'used sloes' ?

hic hic,
Balders
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: tosca100 on November 05, 2014, 19:15
When in Bulgaria...use rakia. We were given some raw and rather undrinkable rakia, so I have added lots of sugar and some of our late raspberries. Tastes rather good so far, but still a bit raw so added a bit more sugar. Couldn't wait for the sloes.
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Chaz1985 on November 05, 2014, 20:44
After a tense 5 hours of attempting to find sloes I managed to find the mother load, probably due to it's close proximity to the River Severn and having to do a Tarzan like hang off a bridge to get to them I managed to pick enough to start my sloe gin off, it now gone in to the cupboard along with some newly started rhubarb vodka and some gooseberry vodka and blackcurrant cassis that have been steering for the last couple of months.

It's my first year of attempting to make anything alcohol based (I've also got strawberry wine on the go but that was kit based) I'm looking forward to the spoils :)

(http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj86/TheNutcracker1985/81B3907F-1FCE-4656-8F28-D04273B31487.jpg) (http://s270.photobucket.com/user/TheNutcracker1985/media/81B3907F-1FCE-4656-8F28-D04273B31487.jpg.html)

 
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: 8doubles on November 05, 2014, 20:49
ok - so with the post-gin sloes I've made slider in the past - was pretty good.
Sloe sherry... hmm... 'Danger Will Robinson'  ;)
Any other things that work well with the 'used sloes' ?

hic hic,
Balders

De stoned and chopped  and mixed with melted dark chocolate, very nice!
De stoning is a pain but an olive stoner might work !
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Baldy on November 05, 2014, 21:11
Might give the chocolate / sloe combo a go for presents -

Well done Chaz - I reckon you managed to pick sloes and not poisonus fungi!! Hope you enjoy your spoils.

Hic hic,
Balders
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Aled on November 06, 2014, 09:26
Excellent stuff, but a big well done to you Chaz looks good.
Cheers
Aled
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Baldy on December 03, 2014, 20:30
My first - not likely to be my last  - already luvverly....

Hic hic,
Balders
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: 8doubles on December 03, 2014, 20:52
My first - not likely to be my last  - already luvverly....

Hic hic,
Balders

I prefer new sloe gin ,2-3 months old to the vintage stuff !

Far more fruity ! :)
Title: Re: Sloe Gin anybody?
Post by: Aled on December 04, 2014, 10:07
Nice on all, looks like seeing a bit of mellow booziness over Christmas.
Lovely.  :D
Cheers
Aled