Sloe gin
Here’s Oliver Sterling’s recipe for sloe gin – the peace offering that worked so effectively on Joe Grundy.
First pick your sloes. These are the fruit of the blackthorn and traditionally one waited until the first frost. But with our weather patterns seemingly getting more and more erratic, this is no longer a good indicator, so just pick them when they are ripe, which is to say when they are not as hard as marbles any more. Be careful of the thorns!
I used to prick each sloe (did you know that technically they are called the drupes of the blackthorn? Odd word, isn’t it.) But a pal of mine gave me a good tip. Just stick them in the freezer overnight and when you defrost them they are nice and split and ready to infuse the gin.
You will need an air-tight jar. Those sorts with the rubber seals and metal clips work well, but I have in the past used a jar from an old-fashioned sweet shop – sadly one of the many things that seem to have passed from the high street. Do make sure you sterilise your jar. Wash thoroughly in warm soapy water and leave to drip dry in the simmering oven of the Aga for 20 minutes. (Caroline says you can also use a conventional oven on a cool setting – 130C/Gas Mark 1)
Pour the sloes in the jar to just under half way up, then add your gin to the top. Don’t go thinking that adding sloes is a way to cover up the taste of poor quality gin. It isn’t. Buy the best gin you can afford, and you will be rewarded with a superior result.
The third ingredient is sugar. My advice here is not to overdo it at the start, as it’s difficult to predict how sweet the finished is product is going to be. It often varies from one year to the next and it’s easy to add some sugar syrup at the end if you want it a bit sweeter. So just add a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar at this stage.
Close the jar and give it a jolly good shake. Then put it away in the dark somewhere. Remember to shake it every other day (or every day won’t hurt) for a week, then once a week for two months.
You can leave it longer than two months for a fuller flavour, although it will get more and more almondy if you do, which I know isn’t to everyone’s taste. But whenever you’re ready, strain the liquid through muslin and decant into a sterilised bottle.
If you’ve picked the fruit in October, it makes a splendid Christmas present.
First pick your sloes. These are the fruit of the blackthorn and traditionally one waited until the first frost. But with our weather patterns seemingly getting more and more erratic, this is no longer a good indicator, so just pick them when they are ripe, which is to say when they are not as hard as marbles any more. Be careful of the thorns!
I used to prick each sloe (did you know that technically they are called the drupes of the blackthorn? Odd word, isn’t it.) But a pal of mine gave me a good tip. Just stick them in the freezer overnight and when you defrost them they are nice and split and ready to infuse the gin.
You will need an air-tight jar. Those sorts with the rubber seals and metal clips work well, but I have in the past used a jar from an old-fashioned sweet shop – sadly one of the many things that seem to have passed from the high street. Do make sure you sterilise your jar. Wash thoroughly in warm soapy water and leave to drip dry in the simmering oven of the Aga for 20 minutes. (Caroline says you can also use a conventional oven on a cool setting – 130C/Gas Mark 1)
Pour the sloes in the jar to just under half way up, then add your gin to the top. Don’t go thinking that adding sloes is a way to cover up the taste of poor quality gin. It isn’t. Buy the best gin you can afford, and you will be rewarded with a superior result.
The third ingredient is sugar. My advice here is not to overdo it at the start, as it’s difficult to predict how sweet the finished is product is going to be. It often varies from one year to the next and it’s easy to add some sugar syrup at the end if you want it a bit sweeter. So just add a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar at this stage.
Close the jar and give it a jolly good shake. Then put it away in the dark somewhere. Remember to shake it every other day (or every day won’t hurt) for a week, then once a week for two months.
You can leave it longer than two months for a fuller flavour, although it will get more and more almondy if you do, which I know isn’t to everyone’s taste. But whenever you’re ready, strain the liquid through muslin and decant into a sterilised bottle.
If you’ve picked the fruit in October, it makes a splendid Christmas present.
Learn more about Oliver Sterling in our Who's Who
