A winter warmer

[Mourneman]

It's that time of the year again,time to check on last year brew of sloe gin.I've been making this now for sevaral years and now is the time to collect sloe's the fruit of the blackthorn.There are lots of ways of preparing the sloe,some people prick each sloe allowing the juice to run from the berry,i myself put mine in the freezer over night,this bursts them,saves loads of time.these photo's are my batch from last year.

66685_447229194859_628904859_5131825_1897079_n by surginor, on Flickr


62172_441629554859_628904859_5026284_1208437_n by surginor, on Flickr


63350_441629534859_628904859_5026282_3012039_n by surginor, on Flickr

76549_458458049859_628904859_5324664_3067900_n by surginor, on Flickr

156715_474989834859_628904859_5548242_3335147_n by surginor, on Flickr
About 500g ripe sloes
About 250g sugar (the more sugar you use the quicker the flavour comes out but, obviously, the sweeter it is)
About 1 litre of gin (any gin, or even vodka if you want a purer flavour)

Prick the sloes with a fork (or don't, or put them in a freezer and then defrost them). Put them in a suitably sized Kilner jar, pour over the sugar and the gin, close the lid, shake, shake every day until the sugar has all dissolved, store in a dark cupboard, strain out the sloes through muslin after about three months, bottle, store in a dark cupboard, and wait.

[Matthew]

Wow thats class, I bet that would keep you warm on a cold night.

[twentyclicks]

Very nice. Tempted to give this a go so there's something for next year.
Will need to hunt in Belvoir forest for fruit, or failing that Sainsbury's 

[Daithi2004]

Very nice. A friend of mine does this in Newry. She also collects sloe's and make it every year. How long does this process take to the final product?