Two recipes: Wild Damson Gin and Sloe Gin recipes
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Liqueurs | 711 comments
Wild damsons are a beautiful rich dark colour
Unlike sloes, wild damsons are hard to find. For every thirty wild plum trees there may be just one wild damson tree. When I spot wild damsons in the hedgerows, they are harvested into a special bag.
These, and the diminutive bullace, are the kings of hedgerow fruit. These tiny fruit make such an irresistible liqueur that overnight guests have actually turned down Danny’s famous cooked breakfast, and gone back to bed to sleep off the excesses of the night before.
Our damson and sloe gin is not the thick ultra sweet variety. We prefer the sugar to enhance rather than shield the flavour. Every three months or so it’s sampled and, if necessary, topped up with sugar. Usually no extra sugar is needed.
We try to keep our damson and sloe gin well away from the drinks tray! Each year we make a lot of fruit gin and vodka (more recipes to follow, in time). Sloe gin is the big craze at the moment around here, as sloes are more plentiful.
Here are our recipes for both. We are also starting experimenting with sloe gin see this post for details
Tips and tricks:
- Make more than you need the first year, so you can compare different vintages. This liqueur does improve over time.
- Some people drain the grog through muslin after a couple of months, to clarify the liqueur and bottle. We don’t bother as one old soak tipped that, once the gin is drunk, you can pour medium sherry on the fruit and start all over again! The latter is devilish and drinkable within three months. We have a recipe for this in our wine and gin section.
- Keep your fruit gin away from the light as this will maintain the colour. Unless it is in a dark green or brown bottle. Wrapping it in brown parcel paper will keep out the light.
- Make notes on a label of your fruit gin/vodka /sugar ratio and stick it onto the bottle(s) so that you have a record, if you make a particularly good batch. We note our responses as the grog matures. Yucky after sixth months can be to die for in a year (you will probably not remember without notes). Notes seem boring when you are making the grog but they are so worthwhile when you start again the next year. It won’t be long before you will get a feel of what works well for your taste (and the notes will come into their own).
- Adding almond essence to sloe gin lifts it from good to great. I haven’t tried this with the damson gin but return in a years’ time for our review.
- Don’t kill the liqueur with too much sugar at the start. Use the amount above to start your sloe or damson gin and then every couple of months take a tiny sip. At this time add more sugar if it is too sharp for your taste.
- Gin v Vodka? Vodka can be used as the spirit for these recipes. Although I’m a vodka drinker, we tend to stick to a gin base for our fruit liqueurs.
- A good damson gin can be made from ordinary damsons available in the shops. As they are bigger you would need to put them into a larger Le Parfait jar (I’d use a 2 litre size).
- People have been picking sloes from September 1st around here. Some people say that you shouldn’t pick sloes until after the first frost. This can be circumvented by putting your sloes in the freezer overnight. We don’t bother with either method and always have great results.
- This year we have made up a number of small (1lb honey jars) of sloe gin to give as Christmas presents.
| Wild Damson Gin and sloe gin Recipes |
Recipe Type: Liqueurs
Prep time: 15 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Ingredients
- Wild damson gin:
- 1lb/454gm of washed wild damsons
- 6 ozs/168gm of white granulated sugar
- 75cl bottle of medium quality gin
- Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle with stopper/cork
- Sloe Gin:
- 1lb/454gm of washed sloes
- 4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar
- 75cl bottle of medium quality gin
- Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle
- 1-2 drops of almond essence
Instructions
- Wild damson gin:
- Wash damsons well and discard any bad or bruised fruit. Prick fruit several times with a fork and place damsons in either a large
- Kilner/Le Parfait jar or a wide necked 1 litre bottle.
- Using a funnel, add the sugar and top up with gin to the rim.
- Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months, we usually let it mature for a year). If you are planning to drink this after 3 months, have a nip afetr a month, and top up with sugar to taste.
- Some people strain the grog (through muslin/jelly bag) after 3 months and bottle it, leaving it mature for six months. We strain and bottle after a year. Don’t leave the straining process any longer than a year; leaving the fruit in too long can spoil the liqueur, as we found to our cost one year.
- Sloe gin:
- Wash sloes well and discard any bruised or rotten fruit. Prick fruit several times with a fork and place sloes in either a large Kilner/Le Parfait jar or a wide necked 1 litre bottle. I put several sloes in my palm to prick them rather than picking them up one by one.
- Using a funnel, add the sugar and top up with gin to the rim. Always open sugar bags over the sink as sugar tends to get caught in the folds at the top of the bag.
- Add the almond essence.
- Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months, we usually let it mature for a year).
- Some people strain the grog (through muslin/jelly bag) after 3 months and bottle it, leaving it mature for six months. We strain and bottle after a year.
Leave a reply
Hi Ray,
That means that the thorny hedge at the bottom of my friend’s garden maust be worth at least 2 thousand pounds!
Earlier this week I read in the newspapers that Waitrose are selling sloes, at £4.99 for a 1lb punnet, but only in London.
Made me smile.
Ray
Hi makemineadouble,
Thanks for the update. I bet that you have great results.
Please drop by to report how it works out. I’m really interested.
Damson gin is great.
well I’v checked everywhere I can and think I’m gonna plough on!
juiced apples poured into jar, topped up till all froth gone… leaving now to ferment then when it stops bottle and store…
never tried anything like this before!! I’ll let you know what happens…
next experiment Damson gin! he he (hic)
Hi makemineadouble,
I can relate to your moniker.
Cider needs yeast. I haven’t made it yet but thought I might try this year. I have found this recipe on the net that sounds good and will give you the general idea
http://www.brewerylane.com/cider_recipe.html
John Seymour has some good advice and a recipe for cider in his book The Complete Guide to Self Sufficiency, which we review here https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=131
Hi Lady Hawk Mansfield,
So pleased that you are enjoying the site.
I am going to make our mince pies and Christmas cake with the same secret ingredient this year! The chocolate sound good too.
Have to say yet again, what a great site.
I have 3 large damson trees in my garden and several wild damsons at the bottom (where people can collect their own). I have been making damson jam since we moved in 15 years ago and end up giving most of it away. I’ve also tried damson wine, damson cheese, spicy damson preserve, pickled damsons and damsons in syrup. But this year it just has to be damson gin, then later, damson chocolate, mince pies and christmas cake. Oh yum yum just can’t wait.
hi all
hoping to try to make traditional cider! what do I need apart from apples (sweet) lol
very easy please.. we’ve been told put them through juicer, pour into demi john, air lock leave….. can this be true????
thank you
Hi Doro,
That’s a great use for gin drenched damsons – tipsy Christmas cake. Thanks for making a comment.
Hi Neil,
It™s such a great feeling when I find a decent harvest of damsons. Lucky you. There are some good tips on the reuse of damsons in the comments on this post and also on the comments on this year™s sloe gin post https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=442
Woody has some ideas below!
Hi Stuart,
I love the idea of your club steward putting down five gallons of sloe gin each year. I bet he has some marvellous vintages from years gone by!
What an interesting hobby, recording old derelict buildings.
Hi Woody,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving so many interesting and taste bud zinging ideas for hedgerow jellies and liqueurs. If it wasn™t dark already, I™d be out with my bonnet and basket immediately.
Interesting to hear that you use barley and brown sugar in your slow gin. I must give it a whirl. I™ve only used white sugar to date.
Hi Neil,
One year I used up the damsons that were left over from the damson gin by de- stoning them and adding them to the christmas cake, i seem to remember the cake that year went quick.