Fermented sloe gin recipe: a new approach to making sloe gin
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Liqueurs | 52 comments
A dish of innocent ripe sloes waiting to be transmorigified
I love sloe gin and like most other sloe gin makers am keen to make a great brew. I hate to admit it but it would be great to impress my liqueur making guru, Gilbert. This recipe gives me the possiblity of two great outcomes. This new technique may produce a superb sloe gin opera or rolling of drums.
Colin Boswell wrote, “The secret of a good sloe gin is the extent to which the very high natural tannin content plus its other constituents have been extracted. I have found that replicating, as perhaps you have above (that’s me!), red wine production by fermenting the sloes on their skins makes an outstanding sloe gin. What you must beware of is that too high a concentration of sugar will kill the yeast and no fermentation will take place.
Layer 2 inches of frozen sloes interspaced with 3 tablespoons of sugar then another 2 inches of sloes and so forth in a fermentation bucket. Add a port wine or high alcohol yeast, probably fermenting out to 14deg. The more technical can measure the specific gravity before and after fermentation to gauge the alcohol content and how much sugar needs to be added.
Stand in a warm place, keep a close eye on fermentation and add small amounts of sugar until fermentation ceases.
Fermenting will of course raise the alcohol content but more importantly it extracts the full flavours of the sloes which other methods fail to do.
I would greatly appreciate the views of an experienced amateur winemaker on this.”
We make wine but are in no way experienced winemakers. So I couldn’t comment intelligently on the method. Instead I decided to give this method a go. I must admit I never would have considered fermenting the sloes before adding the gin but I haven’t been thinking laterally as regards sloe gin. I can see the wisdom behind this method, upping the alcohol level before adding the gin. As Colin says, why let the sloes become imbued with the gin – unless you are going to use the sloes for something else (they can be added to mince pies, Christmas cake, chocolate or the boozy crumble that will have you mother-in-law finally sleeping in a heap under the table).
For this experiment I am using 2 pounds of sloes (900g). I am planning to use the fermented sloes for sloe sherry.
You can get a range of good red wine yeasts online from many sources. I use the art of brewing .
I asked Colin for the ratio mix of fermented sloes to gin and received this reply.
“6l fermented sloe juice to .4l gin, assuming sloe juice has reached 15% alcohol, will give sloe gin at 25%. 50/50 gives 27.5% alcohol. By comparison, if the sloe juice was not fermented, alcohol content at .6l/.4l gin is 16% and at 50/50 20%. The gin and sloe juice need at least two months, preferably longer but should be acceptable by Christmas.
I also recommend the addition of juniper berries, 10 to a gallon of sloes.”
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Hi Claire,
The sloes are still in there! They’re still fermenting away, I’ve checked on them every 3 days or so and there still plenty of bubbles coming up. Incidentally I put enough water in with the sloes to cover them by about an inch and I used light muscovado sugar, of which I keep sprinkling a few spoon fulls in when I check each time. I will sieve the fruit out this weekend I think when they will have been in about 2 weeks. I’ve done the same with a smaller amount of damsons too, they however dont appear to be fermenting as well.
Hi I want to try fermenting the sloes how di you get on? how long did you leave them in the fermenting bucket in the end?
At the risk of sounding a bit thick, please could someone clarify further the method for fermenting sloes!
I went to a wine making shop yesterday and when I told them what I was trying to do they looked at me like I was mental!
Anyway, I bought a fermentation bucket, some yeast and some enzyme, none of which had any instructions! I layered the sloes (after letting them almost thaw out)and sugar as described then mixed a sachet of yeast with a cup full of luke warm water and half a teaspoon of enzyme powder then poured it over the sloes and then put the lid on. Is this going to work? Do you have to put any extra water in or do you simply rely on the juice being extracted from the sloes to make up the desired liquid?? When can I take the lid off again to see what is going on in there? Please help!!
Any update on the fermenting method of making sloe gin? I havebeen given some sloes and am looking for the best method to try
Hi
I have read with great interest the method of making sloe gin. Unfortunately I do not have access to sloes from the hedgegrow and was wandering how it would work using dried sloes. Has anyone tried or heard of anyone having any success with them? Has anyone got any ideas?
Hello Tessa
I haven’t tried making hawthorn liquer, so can’t help you. Perhaps Lindsey will pop back and notice your comment.
Have just found this chat about hawthorn liqeur and wonder if you would let us know how it turned out. I have been wondering what to try making with haws and since you made the liqeur last year you must have tested it and discovered the best tasting version by now.
I am just making some hip and haw jelly as i write, it isnt looking very promising either but will update you in a few weeks when it matures.
Hi Gary,
Here is a recipe (scroll down the page to the recipes and on a bit) http://www.oodwooc.co.uk/Lea/Chapter08.htm. I hope that this is what you want. Do report back with your results when the time comes!
Hi Gary,
I haven’t heard of carrot whisky. Sorry. I’ll do some research and get back to you within a week.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
Hi has any one heard of carrot whiskey my gran used to make it it was very good any ideas (she never added alcohol but it was potent )