Single hen

[SarahJo]

Glad I am not the only one starting the gin ( seemed a bit early ) - thanks Dancing Gal .

 

Suppose one good point - sooner its made, sooner its ready

[Charlottechicken]

The sloes round here are not quite ready yet, a touch on the green side still and they won't come off the bushes!

 

I picked a pound of wild plums this morning though, not sure if they are damsons as they are edible, not bitter, and I know plums cross pollinate easily, so I will pickle them in gin and see what we get

[Snowy]

This post prompted me to take the boys scrumping this morning - got 500g of sloes and 700g of blackberries!

Sloe gin here we come. Just need inspiration for the blackberries - can't put them with apples as the big boy is allergic!

[SarahJo]

Cheapest Gin found so far is Sainsbury Basic - £6 for 70cl?. I take it this was the bottle just short of the litre.

 

Anyway - right at the very floor level, if any of you need it, not that I fell over and then spotted it honest .

[Lesley]

- take more water with it Sarah!

[SarahJo]

Why do you always pick me up ( not literally ) on my drinking, Lesley. . Both Sainsbury and Tesco do a 70cl £6.18 bottle of basic/value gin ..... I have checked this on the computer from the floor of my home study .... .

 

 

Anyway - unless duty free, or supermarket abroad bought, I still think this is the cheapest, unless anyone can give me a cheaper deal. Have 2 lots of sloe's and poss Damsons this year. Already checked the shot glass supply - for the final boys football match before 25th DEC, somehow everyone is waiting for my Sloe Gin

[Lesley]

Sorry Sarah

[Charlottechicken]

Both Sainsbury and Tesco do a 70cl £6.18 bottle of basic/value gin ..... I have checked this on the computer from the floor of my home study .... .

 

I buy the Tesco value spirits, they are fine, the gin smells divine

 

I have been trying to work out what I can pickle in whisky, as I just want to buy a bottle

[Dancing Gal]

sloe gin all done and in the cupboard ready for shaking every day. Found a rather luscious damson bush yesterday so may pop out and get another bottle of cheap gin

[SarahJo]

Is that why you are called "Dancing Gal" . I just shake the gin once a week - till all the sugar has dissolved - but every gin maker to their own

[Cinnamon]

I use the Tesco value Gin & Vodka too, its quite nice - well, the sloe gin last year was anyhow

 

Cleo went & picked a huge bowl of Sloes yeasterday, all lovely & ripe.

They are really early this year

[Dancing Gal]

Picked 3lb of damsons last night - could stop the bush was heaving with them. So I think I shall be making Delia's spiced damson chutney this weekend. I may pop out and get some more and do a Damsom gin later but I've run out of suitable containers for any more drink at the moment.

[Christian]

Dancing Gal - our friend has a Damson tree in her garden (just picked 5lbs ) she made the Delia's indian spiced chutney last year and it is absolutely divine. The best i have ever tasted Lovely with poppadoms/bread/crackers/cheese!

 

She added slightly more vinegar as the first batch was a bit soild.

 

We have just got another jar from her!

[Dancing Gal]

thanks for the tip re the vinegar - chutney making commencing tomorrow afternoon when I don't have to be in this pesky office.

[Rhapsody]

Hee hee found a Sloe bush (tree?plant?) in our cross-country field so immediately came to this thread to find out what to do with them (how did I ever survive before Omlet?) will be making Sloe Gin and Blackberry Vodka this weekend.

Any Omleteers nearby feel free to come over and pick your own....

[Cinnamon]

You won't regret it - Sloe Gin is divine & it tastes even better if you have made it yourself

[HennyPenny]

Today is exactly one year since we moved into our country cottage, so Richard and I went for a walk this afternoon and picked loads of lovely blackberries and sloes to celebrate! Just want to ask a (probably silly) question about making sloe gin - do we need to sterilise the bottles?

 

Thanks!

[Rhapsody]

I ran mine through the dishwasher.....

Just to add, my sis-in-law and I tried a nip of the Blackberry Vodka I made just to see how it was coming on and ay carumba its good!

[The Dogmother]

Either that or rinse them out with boiling water - with all that alcohol going in them it doesn't really matter if they're sterilised or not.

[Cinnamon]

I put the Sloe Gin straight back into the Gin bottles,so didn't bother doing anything to sterlise them

That reminds me that I really must check on its progress.

 

The crab apple vodka I made was heaven, as was the raspberry vodka, which I have had to make a second batch of to keep up with demand

[chickencam]

We tried this with blackcurrants and vodka last year , it was the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted

 

Will stick to sloe's in furure.

 

We have used both sloe's and damsons one gives a more almondy tate than the other. The first one we ever made is still the best and we can't seem to recapture that taste.

 

We give it to our neighbour who is YD's godmother and she loves it we even have bottled labels specially for her, we know when she has run out because the empties arrive in a pretty carrier bag tied to our front door.

[Rhapsody]

That reminds me that I really must check on its progress.