Remember that wonderful hike we did alongside most of the Newry canal from Newry to Scarva? The one where we picked all the sloes? Well this is the quick story of how we made them into Sloe Gin......
Ingredients per jar:
Directions:
1) We (and by that I mean Andrew as I was taking the pictures) picked out all the leaves and other detritus and gave the berries a darn good washing in cold running water.
2) Many recipes will advise that you freeze your berries to give them added sweetness (we have found this doesn't work for us) and of course everyone says you ought to prick them at each end to get the juices flowing.
BUT if your sloes were super ripe, like ours then we just gave the berries a light smooshing with a meat tenderiser and poured them into our jars.
Juices were flowing :)
3) Weigh out the half the amount of sugar as there are sloes and add to each jar.
You could use sugar syrup here but we didn't feel it necessary as part of the fun is watching the granulates slowly melt as you toss and turn the mixture week after week. It doesn't taste any different and to our minds the syrup is simply added fuss and expense.
4) Pour your gin into the jars (about 500ml ) and very carefully seal the jars closed.
5) Give the mixture a shake and place in a dark and cool cupboard. Returning to them every day for the first week to shake and get that sugar dissolved. Then every week after to get those sloes macerated and mixing .
the colour already, one week later:
Hugs and love (and eventually cheers!)
Carrie
Ingredients per jar:
250 grams sloes
125 grams sugar
500 ml gin
Directions:
1) We (and by that I mean Andrew as I was taking the pictures) picked out all the leaves and other detritus and gave the berries a darn good washing in cold running water.
2) Many recipes will advise that you freeze your berries to give them added sweetness (we have found this doesn't work for us) and of course everyone says you ought to prick them at each end to get the juices flowing.
BUT if your sloes were super ripe, like ours then we just gave the berries a light smooshing with a meat tenderiser and poured them into our jars.
Juices were flowing :)
3) Weigh out the half the amount of sugar as there are sloes and add to each jar.
You could use sugar syrup here but we didn't feel it necessary as part of the fun is watching the granulates slowly melt as you toss and turn the mixture week after week. It doesn't taste any different and to our minds the syrup is simply added fuss and expense.
4) Pour your gin into the jars (about 500ml ) and very carefully seal the jars closed.
5) Give the mixture a shake and place in a dark and cool cupboard. Returning to them every day for the first week to shake and get that sugar dissolved. Then every week after to get those sloes macerated and mixing .
the colour already, one week later:
Hugs and love (and eventually cheers!)
Carrie
Am I one of the only people not to like gin? No, thinking about it, there are at least two others, Martyn and my sister. Are we the only three people not to like gin?
ReplyDeleteGin is having it's resurgence and is simply very popular now. Here in Northern Ireland we have a few new whiskey distilleries recently opened and you get gin before whiskey so there is a lot of it around. I don't drink it neat even flavoured but I do love me an elder-flower mixer in it :) You, Martyn and your sister would maybe prefer a sloe vodka tipple??
DeleteThat looks and sounds good to me, although it's not something I drink. Cheers. xx
ReplyDeletecheers to you xx
Delete