Sloe gin is a British red liqueur made with gin and sloes. Prunus spinosa, a relative of the plum. Many commercial sloe gins today traditional devonshire cream recipe made by flavouring less expensive neutral grain spirits, although some manufacturers still use the traditional method. US distilleries often use close relatives of the sloe, such as the Aronia berry or beach plum, to produce a domestic version of sloe gin.
Each sloe is pricked, traditionally with a thorn taken from the blackthorn bush on which they grow. An alternative folktale says that one should not prick the sloes with a metal fork unless it is made of silver. A modern variation is to pick the sloes earlier and freeze them. The jar is then filled with gin, sealed, turned several times to mix and stored in a cool, dark place. It is turned every day for the first two weeks, then each week, until at least three months have passed.
The gin will now have a deep ruby red colour. The liqueur is poured off and the sloes discarded, or infused in white wine or cider, made into jam, or used as a basis for a chutney or a filling for liqueur chocolates. The liqueur can be filtered or decanted back into clean containers and left to stand for another week. Recipes for sloe gin vary depending on the maker’s taste. The sweetness can be adjusted to taste at the end of the process, although sufficient sugar is required while the fruit is steeped to ensure full extraction of flavour.
When made sufficiently slowly, the alcohol extracts an almond-like essence from the sloes’ stones, giving sloe gin a particular aromatic flavour. In North Yorkshire, Masons Gin distills the sloe berries in the gin as opposed to the traditional infusing the berries in the gin after distillation. A sloe gin competition is held each January in The Pandy Inn, Dorstone, Herefordshire, with the winner crowned the “Grand Master of the Sloes”. There are also the Sloe Gin Awards in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, which are held annually and include gold, silver and bronze awards. The George Inn in Frant, East Sussex, near Royal Tunbridge Wells, plays host to the annual Sloe Gin World Championships in December.
