On Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:10:31 +0100, David in Normandy wrote:

On 17/11/2010 21:32, alan.holmes wrote:
. uk wrote in message
...

My first post here...
I'm in New Jersey (quite similar climate to parts of the UK) and have
been wanting to cultivate sloes for many years with spurts and false
starts of effort. Sorry to intrude into this UK specific forum but I
believe that the folks here are going to know more about sloes than
anyone else. The plant does apparently exist here in the wild according
to a few government sources but I've never been able to find it. It is
not on any restricted or envasive species list. Unfortunately, there are
no nurseries that can provide me with cultivars in the US.

To be honest, my main goal is to be able to make my own sloe gin. I did
this year after year while I lived in the UK and its delightful stuff
and a great gift during the holidays. Sloe gin from any shop in the US
has no relation to the real thing.

You wouldn't care to tell us how you make sloe gin, the husband of one of my
cousins used to do it, but sadly he has passed away so I can't ask him.


I've made it a few times now. I also experimented by making sloe rum and
sloe vodka. Surprisingly the sloe rum turned out the best of the three.
None of the drinks tastes anything like the alcoholic drink it is based
on. I think maybe the rum one turned out best because it had the highest
alcohol content. Here is how I make them:

Take 8 ounces of fresh picked ripe sloes. Rinse them to remove any
detritus etc. Leave them in soak for half an hour. A few little grubs
might emerge from one or two of the sloes, just fish them out, don't
worry about trying to sort out the few sloes that may have little grub
holes in - they won't hurt you. Drain and dry the sloes by rolling them
on kitchen paper. Place into a freezer for a couple of days. The
freezing and subsequent thawing helps to break the pulp down so the
juices can percolate out better. I think it also helps to reduce the
bitterness of the sloes but I don't think that is necessarily an issue
for making sloe based drinks as making other sloe products such a sloe
cheese.

Take a 70 cl bottle of rum/gin/etc and empty the contents into a jug.
In the empty bottle carefully tip the 8 ounces of frozen sloes into the
bottle. Add 4 ounces of ordinary white granulated sugar. Now pour back
enough run/gin/etc to reach the bottom of the neck of the bottle.
Turn the bottle a few times to help the sugar to dissolve. The bottle
will get quite cold and damp as moisture condenses on it. When the
bottle has warned up again after a few hours dry it off and attach a
sticky label marking the contents and date.

Place the bottle in a dark cool place. Turn the bottle once each day for
a few weeks then once per week. Allow the bottle to stand for several
months before drinking. Ideally a year if you can wait that long. You
will notice that after the first few days that the colour of the drink
changes to pink then a deep red. Don't let daylight get to the bottle or
I think it will turn the colour from red to brown.

The drink is very nice. It baffles me how rum (which I detest) can
change into something so pleasant to drink.

Note: I think the high sugar content is necessary to help draw out the
juices from the sloes - they are key to putting the delicious flavour
into the drink.

After a year there will be some light sediment at the bottom of the
bottle along with the sloes. Carefully decant the sloe rum/gin into
another bottle. You can get the last part of the bottle by putting it
through a coffee filter paper which takes out any sediment.

You should have a red, clear, sweet and very potent liqueur. None of
your guests will guess what it is.

You can remove the sloes from the gin after a few months, then use them
to make Sloe Jelly,

Brilliant with cheese, Yummy

Rick... (The other Rick)

On 17/11/2010 23:34, Rick... (The other Rick) wrote:


You can remove the sloes from the gin after a few months, then use them
to make Sloe Jelly,

Brilliant with cheese, Yummy

Rick... (The other Rick)

I'll have to give that a try. I've previously just thrown away the sloes
and did wonder at the time if they could be reused - especially with
them being pickled in sugar/alcohol.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

I'm told that covering them in dark chocolate works too.

Martin Brown wrote:

I take it you are well aware that sloe bushes are rather spiny and a bit
rampant. It is used as a stock proof hedge where I live in North
Yorkshire and is hardy to at least -10C in our soggy wet winters.

And a jab from one of those spines often turns septic.

The
sloes are only worth harvesting after they have been frosted. Sloe gin
is good and aromatic but looks like pink paraffin in the early stages.

You can get over that by wrapping a bag of them in bubblewrap and/or a
towel, etc, and put them in a freezer. This slows down the cooling, then
the ice crystals which form do so slowly and puncture the cell walls.

--
Rusty

On 18/11/2010 20:07, Rusty Hinge wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:

I take it you are well aware that sloe bushes are rather spiny and a
bit rampant. It is used as a stock proof hedge where I live in North
Yorkshire and is hardy to at least -10C in our soggy wet winters.

And a jab from one of those spines often turns septic.

The sloes are only worth harvesting after they have been frosted. Sloe
gin is good and aromatic but looks like pink paraffin in the early
stages.

You can get over that by wrapping a bag of them in bubblewrap and/or a
towel, etc, and put them in a freezer. This slows down the cooling, then
the ice crystals which form do so slowly and puncture the cell walls.

So I have been told. Never done it though.

We make sloe gin roughly every other year - and some years the birds
wolf all of them before we even get a chance to go and grab a harvest.

Regards,
Martin Brown

alan.holmes wrote:
"wrnchbndr" wrote in message
...
My first post here...
I'm in New Jersey (quite similar climate to parts of the UK) and have
been wanting to cultivate sloes for many years with spurts and false
starts of effort. Sorry to intrude into this UK specific forum but I
believe that the folks here are going to know more about sloes than
anyone else. The plant does apparently exist here in the wild according
to a few government sources but I've never been able to find it. It is
not on any restricted or envasive species list. Unfortunately, there are
no nurseries that can provide me with cultivars in the US.

To be honest, my main goal is to be able to make my own sloe gin. I did
this year after year while I lived in the UK and its delightful stuff
and a great gift during the holidays. Sloe gin from any shop in the US
has no relation to the real thing.

You wouldn't care to tell us how you make sloe gin, the husband of one of my
cousins used to do it, but sadly he has passed away so I can't ask him.

Half fill a jar with dry (not dried!) sloes.

Add sugar and shake down until the spaces between the sloes are full.

Top up with gin, vodka or white rum.

Shake, upend, agitate weekly for three months (at least).

Decant, and allow any bits to settle, then put in a dark glass bottle.
If you can, leave the sloe gin for six years to mature and mellow.

Two years is the survival ecord here...

--
Rusty

David in Normandy wrote:
On 17/11/2010 23:34, Rick... (The other Rick) wrote:


You can remove the sloes from the gin after a few months, then use them
to make Sloe Jelly,

Brilliant with cheese, Yummy

Rick... (The other Rick)

I'll have to give that a try. I've previously just thrown away the sloes
and did wonder at the time if they could be reused - especially with
them being pickled in sugar/alcohol.

I always use them to improve other incoherent^h^h^alcoholic drinks. One
year I had two gallons of incoholic sloes and five gallons of ginger beer.

The result was rather good.

--
Rusty