Sloe gin is a red colored liqueur flavored with sloe berries, the fruit of the blackthorn, a relative of the plum. Sloe gin has an alcohol content from between 15 to 30 percent by volume. A liqueur is a sweet alcoholic beverage, often flavoured with fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, roots, plants, barks, and sometimes cream. ... Binomial name Prunus spinosa L. The Blackthorn, is a large shrub or a small tree of the genus Prunus, botanically Prunus spinosa. ... Several types of berries from the market, but none of these are true berries. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Catalonia. ... Binomial name Prunus spinosa L. The Blackthorn, is a large shrub or a small tree of the genus Prunus, botanically Prunus spinosa. ... Species See text. ... Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound, one of the alcohols that is most often found in alcoholic beverages. ...

The traditional way of making sloe gin is to infuse gin with the berries. Sugar is required to ensure that the sloe juices are extracted from the fruit. Almond flavoring may be added. Gin and tonic. ... Magnified crystals of refined sugar In general use, non-scientists take sugar to mean sucrose, also called table sugar or saccharose, a white crystalline solid disaccharide. ...

To make sloe gin, the sloe berries must be ripe. They are traditionally picked in late October or early November after the first frost of winter. A wide necked jar that can be sealed is needed. Prick each berry and half fill the wide necked jar with the pricked berries. Folklore has it that when making sloe gin, you shouldn't prick the berries with a metal fork, unless it is made of silver, thus conventional wisdom is to use a wooden tooth pick or similar.

For each pint (0.5 litre) of sloes, add 4oz (100g) of caster sugar and fill the jar with gin. Seal the jar and turn it several times to mix, then store the jar in a cool, dark place. Repeat the turning every day for the first two weeks, then each week, until at least three months have passed. Magnified crystals of refined sugar In general use, non-scientists take sugar to mean sucrose, also called table sugar or saccharose, a white crystalline solid disaccharide. ...

The gin should now be a deep ruby red. Pour off the liqueur and discard the berries (putting them on your compost heap is good as it gives the blackbirds and robins an unusual thrill in the middle of winter - it does not appear to harm them). The liqueur can be filtered, but it is best decanted back into clean containers and left to stand for another week. Careful decanting can then ensure that almost all sediment is eliminated, leaving a clear liqueur. A compost bin full of autumn oak leaves Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials (those with plant and animal origins). ... This article refers to the animal Blackbird, for other uses see Blackbird (disambiguation) Binomial name Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 // Blackbird The Blackbird or Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) is a European member of the thrush family Turdidae. ... The given name Robin was originally a diminutive of Robert, derived from Rob and the diminutive Old French suffix -in. ...

Made in this way, the alcohol extracts an almond-like essence from the sloes, avoiding the need to add almond essence. Home made sloe gin is a much more complex and subtle drink than that produced commercially, and is well worth the effort. The sweetness can be adjusted to taste at the end, but sufficient sugar is required at the start of the process to ensure full extraction of flavour from the sloes. Commerce is the trading of something of value between two entities. ...

Most commercial sloe gins today are made by flavoring the less expensive neutral grain spirits and produce an often insipid fruit cordial effect. The most popular commercial brands of Sloe gin are Plymouth and Gordon's. Neutral grain spirits (a. ... Plymouth Gin is a brand of Gin made in Plymouth, United Kingdom. ... Gordons is a popular brand of gin produced in the United Kingdom and under license in New Zealand and several other former British territories. ...

See also

• Patxaran

Patxaran (Basque from baso aran (wild plum); called Pacharán in Spanish) is a sloe-flavoured liqueur from Navarra, commonly drunk in Navarra, in the Basque Country and in the rest of Spain. ...

External links

• Sloe Gin recipe