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How to Make Sloe Gin at Home

Slow gin is technically a ‘compound gin’ or an infusion which means you don’t need to distill the final product. This means it’s easy (and legal) to make at home. All you need to do is combine the ingredients and leave for a few months to let the magic happen.
Course: Drinks
Keyword: Gin, Liquor, Sloe Gin
Author: DIY Distilling

Ingredients

  • 1 L London Dry Style Gin
  • 400 gm Sloe Berries
  • 200-300 gm sugar (add sugar to taste)

Instructions

  • Step 1: Place the berries in a bowl and rinse them with water. You can then pat them dry with a towel.
  • Step 2: In this step, you have two choices to make. To begin, place the sloe in a bag and freeze them. The skin of the sloe will burst when it freezes. After that, you can defrost them.
    The second option is to prick each sloe with a cocktail stick or stainless steel needle. We aim to create an opening on the sloe to speed up the infusion process.
  • Step 3: Combine all of the sloes in a 2-litre jar or separate them into smaller jars. You can then add the sugar and gin and seal the jar. Start by using only about 100 grams of sugar as you can always add more at the end of the process to taste. Shake the components well.
  • Step 4: Store the jar in a cool and dark environment. You will need to leave it for 2-3 months, checking in to give the contents a share every two or three weeks. We strongly recommend you don’t open the jar to stir or taste as this will introduce oxygen into the jar and could start oxidizing some of the precious flavor compounds!
  • Step 5: Use a sleeve and muslin cloth or coffee filter paper to strain the sloes through it into another container
  • Step 6: Do a quick taste test and start adding some of the remaining sugar to the filtered mixture. Sloes are very bitter but some people don’t like their final gin too sweet, so how much you add is up to you!
  • Step 7: Finally, store the drink in clean and dry bottles. Seal and label the bottles.

Notes

It is not that difficult to prepare sloe gin. However, the important thing is to focus on hygiene. You will need to wash every item before you start, including the utensils you will use.