This resurgence in the popularity of ‘Genever’ or ‘Mother’s Ruin’, once the mainstay of Victorian drinking culture (think Hogarth’s Gin Lane print), has seen growth in the countryman’s craft of sloe gin making.
Sloes are a small bitter cousin of the plum. They are the fruit of the blackthorn (prunus spinose), which grows wild throughout the UK. At this time of year, the hedgerows are dripping with the satin, deep purple fruit. They make you wince when eaten but they make an excellent flavouring for gin. It takes a little patience to make it properly but sloe gin is a great Christmas liqueur.
Here’s how to make it.
Go for a nice long walk in the countryside. Collect 1lb of sloes – traditionally this was done after the first frosts of the autumn had fallen, allowing the skins to split and sugars to form in the fruit. These days pick the fruit as soon as its ripe and pop in the freezer for a day or so before you’re ready to use it.
You will also need 8ozs of sugar and 1 litre of gin. Any will do, but the better the gin the better your sloe gin will be.
Wash the sloes, prick the skins and put a layer in the bottom of a parfait or Kilner jar. Cover the sloes with sugar. Alternate layers of fruit and sugar until you’ve used all the fruit and sugar.
Pour in the gin and seal the jar. Give it a good shake and put the jar in a dark cupboard.
Turn the jar every day for a week. Then turn the jar once a week for at least two months until all the sugar is dissolved. The gin should be ready to drink after 10 weeks or so. But remember, the longer you leave it the better it will be.
Decant the gin through muslin into bottles and store.
Save the gin soaked fruit. Take the stones out. Put the fruit into a bowl and stir in melted dark chocolate. Put greaseproof paper onto a baking tray. Pour out the chocolate and sloe mixture and level out. Put the tray into the fridge and allow the chocolate to set.
When it’s set cut the chocolate into pieces and you have sloe gin liqueur chocolates, which make a great Christmas treat to go along with your festive sloe gin-based champagne cocktails.
Cheers!
