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6:26 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Tell us your tips for any stage of the process. The more we share, the more we all learn.
Kicking off with a valuable tip from Cliff Cochin, as reported by Magic Cochin, the missus:
Can I recommend a neat way of pricking sloes (I can't steal the credit, it's Cliff's method)
Put the sloes on a tray and pat them firmly with the rough pricky side of a grater, you know – the side used for zesting oranges.
Never knowingly underfed
6:08 pm
Fri 28-May-10
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Sloes? i never bother pricking the skins, I use the freeze-thaw method. Place the sloes in a bag, freeze overnight, next day check them and if they have frozen enough they will start to split their skins. if not, give them another dose in the cooler.
always works for me although there is a higher chance you get 'bits' in the brew, there are easily removed though
7:30 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Daughter picked a bagful of elderflowers this morning from our field – and they are already on the way to making elderflower cordial. Love it!
7:55 pm
just posted as I seem to be on way to elderflower champagne after leaving the flowers to steep to long!!
9:32 pm
Enthusiast
New members
Thu 30-Sep-10
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Can anyone say that using plastic bottles is ok for sloe as cannot obtain glass bottles demi jars here in france.
Our children reap what we sow
10:13 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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I'm not sure that the alcohol won't have a chemical reaction to the plastic. Are you unable to get glass bottles or jars at all?
I'll try that again!
10:43 pm
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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The plastic jugs I use for sloe gin are identical to the ones used for laboratory chemicals so I can trust them not to leach anything into the booze. The jugs originally contained scrumpy. They are thick white-ish HDPE plastic. Are you going to use the bottles to make or store the sloe gin? I never use a demijohn to make sloe gin. A glass kilner type jar should be ok because it'd be easier to get the sloes out of afterwards.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
10:49 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Phew, I just knew that someone would have a practical answer, thanks Mike! I make my Sloe Gin in Parfait jars. Must get some gin, OH has my sloes in his freezer...
I'll try that again!
3:43 pm
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New members
Thu 30-Sep-10
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Well being a greedy so&so and the fact my young son seems to like this drink as much as me we thought we would purchase a five litre bottle of water and being water I thought that the plastic would be good. Now I have searched high and low for demi jars none to be gotten. Other jars at the brocante i.e. boot sales well the French always want more money than new of course everything is antique to them.
But parfait jars I have big ones too, Q should I seal them once finished or best put in bottles and cork. Bottles we have off course, not clear though.
Another Q has anyone ever tried to crush the sloes nut and all?
Our children reap what we sow
3:26 pm
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New members
Wed 19-Jan-11
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Maybe cheaper places to get 500ml Sloe gin (or other drinks etc) Glass bottles with a ceramic flip top lid. these look like flasks. I went to buy them off ebay and they told me to go to there shop where they were cheaper and they gave me a code to get the price down further (5028250167613) 48.80p including p&p for 15 = 3.25 each. Give a lot away as pressy. The bottles could of course be used for other things and they do have other shaped bottles. JB
http://www.peaseofgarforth.co.uk/products/home-mad.....e-kchmbot7
3:35 pm
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New members
Wed 19-Jan-11
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You can reuse the sloes by refilling the demijohns with cider (dry best) to make Sloe Cider by far my favourite. Care if using still fermenting cider a airlock might be best but if using bought cider (Kingstone press 660 ml bottle 1 pound in some off licenses 1.35p in supermarkets) in a bottle i assume it will have stopped fermenting. JB
4:45 pm
Supreme Being
New members
Mon 3-Oct-11
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In answer to the sloes and crushing them question from Nov 10, a certain amount of flavour comes from the stones with sloes that are uncrushed and steeped, if they are crushed then only a small proportion of the stones should be used, say 10 to 15% of them. Also the flavour will be extracted quicker- but beware that getting all the solid and insoluble material out after steeping could be more problematical.
Are we having fun yet? I am!
11:29 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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More than two years since this last post - we have a new member who makes fruit liqueurs - see her site here. I hope that, if the local Sloe harvest fails for the third year, I will be able to avail myself of some decent stuff.
I'll try that again!
9:15 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Now that makes another trip to the Ilkley area very likely!
Never knowingly underfed
11:58 pm
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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I'm hoping for a good sloe harvest this year. A lot of the blackthorn trees/bushes round here are covered in tons of blossom.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
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