[bexy]

Hi all.

For the first time ever i thought i would try making some sloe gin from the sloes which are growing in the hedge around my allotment.

My allotment in on a lane next to a farm.The farmer was out the other day with is hedge cutter tractor thingy cutting back all the hedge icluding mine which i am very pleased about.
After he had finished i went out on the lane and collected a huge amount of fat plump sloes.
I washed them and left them out on a kitchen towel overnight to dry before bagging them up and putting in the freezer.
A lot of the sloes had split open,this i think was due to all the rain we have had recently after going for months without any.
My question is ...will they still be ok to use? they look clean with no decaying etc.

[Salmo]

The splits are OK. It was always traditional to prick sloes with a silver hat pin to allow the gin to penetrate. Preumably the silver did not taint the fruit. I just knick them with a sharp knife. Some people put them in the freezer to store them until they want to brew the sloe gin. When they defrost they are split.

Most recepies are too sweet and spoil the plummy astringent taste so go light on the sugar.

[8doubles]

The main problem using split sloes is that they break up when you shake the bottle and you end up with bits in the gin. I do not prick the sloes at all , no need to.
If you need to strain the sloe gin a coffee filter will do the trick but if you have put too much sugar in it can be a slow job.

[arugula]

The splits are OK.....

Most recepies are too sweet and spoil the plummy astringent taste so go light on the sugar.

I second the sugar bit. The stuff can taste like medicine if you're not careful. A dry flavoured end result is out of this world  .

[cooperman]

The main problem using split sloes is that they break up when you shake the bottle and you end up with bits in the gin. I do not prick the sloes at all , no need to.
If you need to strain the sloe gin a coffee filter will do the trick but if you have put too much sugar in it can be a slow job.

spill the beans on your ideal recipe then!!

[Loubs]

I take an empty litre bottle, fill about third to half with sloes, add 3 oz of sugar, then top up with gin (cheap Aldi or Lidl gin is best- not too many herbs & spices).

Best to be a bit mean with the sugar - you can taste it after 3 months to see what you've got - you can add more, but you can't take it away if you overdo it.

Collected lots of sloes this year (last year was a really poor harvest). Some bottles left as is, some have added a piece of cinnamon or few drops of almond essence.

This is a good site for recipes: http://www.sloe.biz/

(not just about sloes - I made some ace blackcurrant & vanilla vodka last year from one of the recipes listed in their forum)

[8doubles]

The main problem using split sloes is that they break up when you shake the bottle and you end up with bits in the gin. I do not prick the sloes at all , no need to.
If you need to strain the sloe gin a coffee filter will do the trick but if you have put too much sugar in it can be a slow job.

spill the beans on your ideal recipe then!!

I agree with Loubs the only difference is i use an empty 2litre bottle 4oz of sugar ,1lb of sloes and 70cl of gin. IMHO you cannot put too many sloes in as long as they are covered by the gin.
Sorry about the late reply, i lost the thread.

[Arnfields]

Rather than Sloe gin - how about Sloe wine?  This negates the need to purchase somewhat pricey shop bought gin, instead only requiring some sugar and yeast - and it's nearly as potent as the gin version! 

[Julesanne]

  Last year and again this year we made sloe jack daniels and cheap sloe bourbon......mmmmmm