Two recipes: Wild Damson Gin and Sloe Gin recipes
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Liqueurs | 713 comments
Wild damsons are a beautiful rich dark colour
Unlike sloes, wild damsons are hard to find. For every thirty wild plum trees there may be just one wild damson tree. When I spot wild damsons in the hedgerows, they are harvested into a special bag.
These, and the diminutive bullace, are the kings of hedgerow fruit. These tiny fruit make such an irresistible liqueur that overnight guests have actually turned down Danny’s famous cooked breakfast, and gone back to bed to sleep off the excesses of the night before.
Our damson and sloe gin is not the thick ultra sweet variety. We prefer the sugar to enhance rather than shield the flavour. Every three months or so it’s sampled and, if necessary, topped up with sugar. Usually no extra sugar is needed.
We try to keep our damson and sloe gin well away from the drinks tray! Each year we make a lot of fruit gin and vodka (more recipes to follow, in time). Sloe gin is the big craze at the moment around here, as sloes are more plentiful.
Here are our recipes for both. We are also starting experimenting with sloe gin see this post for details
Tips and tricks:
- Make more than you need the first year, so you can compare different vintages. This liqueur does improve over time.
- Some people drain the grog through muslin after a couple of months, to clarify the liqueur and bottle. We don’t bother as one old soak tipped that, once the gin is drunk, you can pour medium sherry on the fruit and start all over again! The latter is devilish and drinkable within three months. We have a recipe for this in our wine and gin section.
- Keep your fruit gin away from the light as this will maintain the colour. Unless it is in a dark green or brown bottle. Wrapping it in brown parcel paper will keep out the light.
- Make notes on a label of your fruit gin/vodka /sugar ratio and stick it onto the bottle(s) so that you have a record, if you make a particularly good batch. We note our responses as the grog matures. Yucky after sixth months can be to die for in a year (you will probably not remember without notes). Notes seem boring when you are making the grog but they are so worthwhile when you start again the next year. It won’t be long before you will get a feel of what works well for your taste (and the notes will come into their own).
- Adding almond essence to sloe gin lifts it from good to great. I haven’t tried this with the damson gin but return in a years’ time for our review.
- Don’t kill the liqueur with too much sugar at the start. Use the amount above to start your sloe or damson gin and then every couple of months take a tiny sip. At this time add more sugar if it is too sharp for your taste.
- Gin v Vodka? Vodka can be used as the spirit for these recipes. Although I’m a vodka drinker, we tend to stick to a gin base for our fruit liqueurs.
- A good damson gin can be made from ordinary damsons available in the shops. As they are bigger you would need to put them into a larger Le Parfait jar (I’d use a 2 litre size).
- People have been picking sloes from September 1st around here. Some people say that you shouldn’t pick sloes until after the first frost. This can be circumvented by putting your sloes in the freezer overnight. We don’t bother with either method and always have great results.
- This year we have made up a number of small (1lb honey jars) of sloe gin to give as Christmas presents.
| Wild Damson Gin and sloe gin Recipes |
Recipe Type: Liqueurs
Prep time: 15 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Ingredients
- Wild damson gin:
- 1lb/454gm of washed wild damsons
- 6 ozs/168gm of white granulated sugar
- 75cl bottle of medium quality gin
- Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle with stopper/cork
- Sloe Gin:
- 1lb/454gm of washed sloes
- 4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar
- 75cl bottle of medium quality gin
- Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle
- 1-2 drops of almond essence
Instructions
- Wild damson gin:
- Wash damsons well and discard any bad or bruised fruit. Prick fruit several times with a fork and place damsons in either a large
- Kilner/Le Parfait jar or a wide necked 1 litre bottle.
- Using a funnel, add the sugar and top up with gin to the rim.
- Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months, we usually let it mature for a year). If you are planning to drink this after 3 months, have a nip afetr a month, and top up with sugar to taste.
- Some people strain the grog (through muslin/jelly bag) after 3 months and bottle it, leaving it mature for six months. We strain and bottle after a year. Don’t leave the straining process any longer than a year; leaving the fruit in too long can spoil the liqueur, as we found to our cost one year.
- Sloe gin:
- Wash sloes well and discard any bruised or rotten fruit. Prick fruit several times with a fork and place sloes in either a large Kilner/Le Parfait jar or a wide necked 1 litre bottle. I put several sloes in my palm to prick them rather than picking them up one by one.
- Using a funnel, add the sugar and top up with gin to the rim. Always open sugar bags over the sink as sugar tends to get caught in the folds at the top of the bag.
- Add the almond essence.
- Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months, we usually let it mature for a year).
- Some people strain the grog (through muslin/jelly bag) after 3 months and bottle it, leaving it mature for six months. We strain and bottle after a year.
Leave a reply
Hi Sarah
Perfect. But as james P says cover it with clingfilm and I’d add foil. Don’t leave it too long as it will gradually evaporate.
Hi James P
Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Hello Amanda
I’d suggest 2-3 drops since I made a sort of revolting disel by adding too much almond oil.
I have just been reading about adding a small teaspoon of almond essence to my sloe gin. I have already bottled my gin….about 2 weeks ago. Am I too late to add some? Should I wait til its ‘brewed’ for a few months then add it? Sorry, this is all new to me….I can only get better! I hope!
“crystal vase”
I hope it’s got a lid. You don’t want all that lovely (and expensive) alcohol evaporating…
(Clingfilm would probably suffice.)
Ok…..I’ve found a massive crystal vase…..my damson gin will have to live in there for the meantime!!
Hi Iris
The only way I can resist sampling the fruit liqueurs is to keep them in the barn, well away from temptation.
We have a good jam recipe here which works for damsons. Use the second one and once you’ve let the sugar dissolve taste the liquid and adjust the sugar if necessary.
Good that you are enjoying the site.
Hello
After making sloe gin over the past few years I have just discovered your recipie, which adds almond essence. I can’t wait to try the end results as it sounds as though it will be delicious. How on earth am I going to stop myself sampling it until it is ready?!!
I would also like to make damson jam this year – do you have a fool-proof recipe for this. Reading various recipes has confused me regarding the quantity of sugar to use and whether or not I should add water.
I love this site, by the way. I have only recently discovered it and already it is one of my firm favourites.
Hi Marianne
This article on identifying hedgerow fruit might help https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=3753
Hi Sarah
Never use plastic bottles. You’d be best making the damson gin in a large non reactive saucepan or covered mixing bowl.
I’ve used big Le Parfait jars in the past too.
Hello
I’ve got 6lb of damsons that need something doing with them within the next 24 hrs and a litre and a half of gin…..but I’ve only plastic wide necked containers. Would it be ok to start off my damson gin in the plastic containers while waiting for glass jars to arrive? If so, how long could it be left in plastic do you think?
Thanks!
Hello
I have heaps of sloes this year, much better than the last few years but I think we may have found either some damson or bullace trees in our hedges this year. I’m just not sure how to identify them. Our sloes are quite big this year – some as big as grapes – or are these damsons? The other trees we found have plum-like fruit (not round like sloe berries), blueish purple with a bloom on them, about the size and shape of a small purple plum. The flesh is green and tastes sweetish. Would these be bullaces or damsons?
Hi James P
I hadn’t noticed that before! These recipes are the ammounts I’ve used in the past.
This year we have just the one bottle of damson gin on the go and I added very little sugar – 3 tbsp as I can always add more later. This year I want something slightly tarter.