over 2 hours
no cooking required
Makes 1 litre/1¾ pint
Making sloe gin is slow but not laborious. There’s no cooking required, just patience as the sloes steep in the gin.
- 450g/1lb sloes
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 1 litre/1¾ pint gin
- Prick the tough skin of the sloes all over with a clean needle and put in a large sterilised jar.
- Pour in the sugar and the gin, seal tightly and shake well.
- Store in a cool, dark cupboard and shake every other day for a week. Then shake once a week for at least two months.
- Strain the sloe gin through muslin into a sterilised bottle.
You can make blackberry brandy in the same way, substituting blackberries for the sloes and brandy for the gin. Blackberries do not need pricking.
