(a) Sloe (or Damson) Gin
Ingredients
- Sloes (or damsons)
- Gin
- Granulated sugar
Method
- Pick sloes (or damsons).
- Rinse fruit and dry by spreading on kitchen paper.
- Prick each fruit with a darning needles 4 or 5 times and drop into a wide necked screw top preserving jar. (This was traditionally done with a silver fork or a thorn from the Blackthorn.)
- Fill jar half to two thirds full of fruit.
- Pour in enough granulated sugar to come a quarter way up the jar.
- Fill jar with gin.
- Seal tightly and leave in a cool dark cupboard for at least three months, occasionally shaking the jar to help the sugar dissolve.
- Finally, filter/strain into bottles.
Not essential, but you may like to pop the sloes into the freezer for two days. Traditionally sloes were not picked until the first frost (October/November). Putting them in the freezer is the next best thing. You will find that if you wait until the autumn the birds and others will get to them. Frost/freezing not only mellows the bitter flavour, but causes the juice in the fruit cells to expand and burst the cell walls.
(b) Damson Brandy
Ingredients
- Damsons
- Brandy
- Granulated sugar
Method
- Rinse the damsons and dry by spreading on kitchen paper.
- Prick each fruit with a darning needles 4 or 5 times and drop into a wide necked screw top preserving jar.
- Fill jar half to two thirds full of damsons.
- Pour in enough granulated sugar to come a quarter way up the jar.
- Fill jar with brandy.
- Seal tightly and leave in a cool dark cupboard for at least three months, occasionally shaking the jar to help the sugar dissolve.
- Finally, filter into bottles.