Sloe Gin
19 Sep 2010 12 Comments
in Brittany, Cooking and Eating Tags: Sloe Gin
The month of September holds so much for me. It is THE month to be out there foraging for Nature’s free fruit bounty. Blackberries, Sloes, Rowan, Elder, Crab Apples, Haws, Rose Hips are all there for the taking. I recommend Richard Mabey’s Food for Free for inspiration. October is the month for nuts and fungi.
Sloes
This afternoon we went and picked a load of Sloes. Do not be tempted to bite into one of these as they are the most acidic berry you are likely to come across. But they do serve their purpose either by means of a jelly or, as in my case, a beautiful full-bodied liqueur, Sloe Gin.
I use a recipe l found many years ago. Some say you should pick the berries after the first frost but our frosts are quite late we pick them now before they wither away to nothing. Basically take a bottle, quarter fill it with pricked sloes as this allows the gin and the juices to mix, add 2 oz of caster sugar, just cover this with red wine and top the bottle up with gin. Leave a gap at the top as you will have to shake the bottle every day for the first two weeks or so. Seal the bottle and put in a dark, cool place. This will be ready to drink by Christmas if made now but is even better if kept for a year. Delicious on a Winter’s evening by a log fire!
Sloe Gin
