Sloe-ly does it

Autumn is upon us. The nights are drawing in, the weather is starting to revert back to type for the UK and we will be out and about less and less. Fear not friends, there is still time to get yourself out into the Great British countryside and find some treats to warm your cockles this winter. I am referring to a fantastic, free, flavouring to make a drink guaranteed to turn that frown upside down. Sloes. 

Sloe gin is beautiful if you make it yourself. It is a luxurious, smooth and warming spirit that you can drink neat to warm you up on a cold winter evening or mix with tonic for a refreshing, fruity long drink to share with friends. These little beauties are not around for long however so get yourself out there picking now. 

The process is easy but like all good things, it takes time. First you need to get out picking. My best advice would be to go to wherever blackberries are normally found and look up. Sloes seem to like the company of brambles making them quite challenging to pick at times. Around Bristol you can find them on the old Bristol Bath Railway, near the Bedminster Cricket Club and this particular picture was from a spot in Bradford on Avon near the river. Stay clear of the wrinkled ones, they wont give up as much juice as the others. 

Once picked and home give the sloes a quick rinse in cold water. You then have the pain staking process of pricking each sloe with a sterilised pin/needle. The more you puncture the fruit the more juice and flavour is released so don't be tempted to rush this step. Pop the punctured fruit into sterilised, glass bottles that you can securely fasten. You now need to add sugar and top the bottle(s) up with gin and give a shake. That is it. The bottles should be stored somewhere out of the light as this may discolour your finished drink. Leave the gin now for 8 weeks, shaking the bottles every week. You will see the colour changing over time. After 8 weeks the gin should now be ready to drink. Some people suggest straining the liquid into new bottles, I prefer to just leave them as they are. 

For 750ml of gin you need:

• 340g of sloes
• 170g of caster sugar
• 750ml gin (the better quality gin the smoother the end product) 

Cheers.