Sloe (or Damson) Gin and Damson Brandy

(a) Sloe (or Damson) Gin

Ingredients

Method

  1. Pick sloes (or damsons).

    2. Not essential, but you may like to pop the sloes into the freezer for two days. Traditionally sloes were not picked until the first frost (October/November).  Putting them in the freezer is the next best thing.  You will find that if you wait until the autumn the birds and others will get to them.  Frost/freezing not only mellows the bitter flavour, but causes the juice in the fruit cells to expand and burst the cell walls.

  2. Rinse fruit and dry by spreading on kitchen paper.
  3. Prick each fruit with a darning needles 4 or 5 times and drop into a wide necked screw top preserving jar.  (This was traditionally done with a silver fork or a thorn from the Blackthorn.)
  4. Fill jar half to two thirds full of fruit.
  5. Pour in enough granulated sugar to come a quarter way up the jar.
  6. Fill jar with gin.
  7. Seal tightly and leave in a cool dark cupboard for at least three months, occasionally shaking the jar to help the sugar dissolve.
  8. Finally, filter/strain into bottles.

(b) Damson Brandy

Ingredients

Method

  1. Rinse the damsons and dry by spreading on kitchen paper.
  2. Prick each fruit with a darning needles 4 or 5 times and drop into a wide necked screw top preserving jar.
  3. Fill jar half to two thirds full of damsons.
  4. Pour in enough granulated sugar to come a quarter way up the jar.
  5. Fill jar with brandy.
  6. Seal tightly and leave in a cool dark cupboard for at least three months, occasionally shaking the jar to help the sugar dissolve.
  7. Finally, filter into bottles.

Images

SLOES - hedgerow fruit

Sloes (or Blackthorn) - hedgerow fruit

DAMSON PLUMS - hedgerow and cultivated fruit

Damson Plums - hedgerow fruit