Sloe Gin - Captain Harriman's accelerated sloe gin

This season sloes are festooning the hedgerows like clumps of musket balls

By Bill Harriman

Monday, 19 October 2009

After perfecting a method of producting superb sloe gin in a matter of days, Bill Harriman is happy to share his groundbreaking secret concoction

Sloe gin has become the traditional shooter’s tipple. To my mind there’s nothing better than a flask of home-made sloe gin to refresh yourself and those who share your sport. I don’t care for ready-made sloe gins as they are too sweet for me. This year is showing a bumper crop, and the hedgerows round our way look like they are festooned with clumps of musket balls. With Nature’s bounty so close at hand, I thought it high time to make my own sloe gin for a change, rather than guzzling the efforts of my pals.

The only downside to this otherwise laudable aim is that my sloe gin would not be ready for November, when I have my first shooting day. So, I set about some developmental work to produce sloe gin that was drinkable in a fortnight and excellent after a month.

Sloe gin is simply a tincture that relies on alcohol to extract the flavour and colour of the sloes. Traditionally, each sloe is painstakingly (and in most cases painfully) pricked before being immersed in gin. It’s a long process. I know some folk freeze the sloes to break them down to allow the alcohol to penetrate more speedily, but I’ve tried this and the results were not up to scratch.

I was inspired to develop my own process after I saw the wonderful ruby red colour of the juices oozing through the crust of a damson crumble. They formed a syrup which held the colour and flavour of the fruit to perfection. I reasoned that if a similar approach was taken with sloes, then sloe gin could be made in days rather than months. I was right, and in the spirit of public benefaction, I wish to share this novel process with my fellow sporting ladies and gentlemen.

FAST SLOE GIN RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 450g sloes • 225g golden caster sugar • 1L gin • almond essence• 75ml 79.9 per cent Polish pure spirit vodka

STEP 1: Preparing the sloes

Discard any imperfect sloes and remove any leaves or stalks. Wash the sloes well. Place in an ovenproof dish and dust well with most of the caster sugar. Save 75g of sugar to adjust the sweetness later. Sloes are tart, but don’t overpower their fruity flavour with too much sugar.

STEP 2: Making the syrup

Bake in a low oven for about 20 minutes. You may need to add a teaspoon of water to get the syrup to form. As the fruit starts to break down, give it a stir to release the red syrup. When the fruit is a complete mush, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool. When cooled, you can adjust the sugar to taste.

STEP 3: Sieving the fruit

Spoon the stewed fruit into a sieve and force the skins and pulp through the mesh using a wooden spoon. This isolates the stones, which can then be thrown away. Put the pulp and syrup into a large jar. Rinse out the oven dish and then sieve the last bits of the fruit with some of the gin to make sure that none of the fruit mixture is wasted.

STEP 4: Adding the gin

Top up the jar with the rest of the gin and leave to cool. After 72 hours test the brew for sweetness and add more sugar if you think it needs it. (Sugar is best added in the form of a syrup.) You may want to add a couple of drops of almond essence. I find this gives the drink a slightly nutty taste. Buy the best almond essence you can and avoid the synthetic stuff, which is normally called almond flavouring.

STEP 5: An extra kick

After a week I add about 75ml of 79.9 per cent Polish pure spirit vodka. Most gins are only 37.5 per cent by volume and I find them rather thin. The Polish firewater supercharges the mixture and gives it body. It’s flavourless and designed as a base for cocktails. You can buy this rocket fuel on the Internet.

STEP 6: The waiting game

After a fortnight, the sloe gin is ready to drink. This method is certainly applicable to damson gin and may well work for cherry brandy or vodka, though further research is needed.

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Comments

Charles Hughes

Sat, 21st Nov 2009 20:09:15

With regard to your Sloe Gin making you refer to getting sloes from clumps, these would probably be Bullace which are slightly larger and make excellent Gin but even better jam. I have often won prizes in the village show for my Bullace Jam. It does take an expert to tell the difference in summer, the leaf is slightly shorter than the Common Blackthorn. Setting of Sloe blossom is more to do with the late frosts than the shortage of insects.

Chris Rasey

Thu, 19th Nov 2009 13:59:12

I have just bottled my first effort with this idea and I have to say I was a bit sceptical, but on tasting it I was completely surprised. The Vodka definitely gives it a bit of a kick..!! I am leaving one bottle to age and one to drink this season. Will definitely try this one again.

Mick Cooper

Fri, 30th Oct 2009 19:53:44

Sound like a great Idea. I have made one batch in the traditional way but I will try this method next. Mick

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