Wild Craft - Sloe Gin

Foraging for Sloes and making Sloe Gin is a rite of Autumn. Look for Blackthorn shrubs in hedgerows, laden with spherical fruit clustered on the branches with a ’bloom’. Sun facing shrubs will have the ripest, sweetest berries. Pick from waist height up to as far as you can reach, making sure to leave plenty for wildlife.

Pick over the fruit and rinse, then prick with a fork. A quick couple of hours in the freezer will give them a ‘frost’. Then fill a 1 ½ litre kilner jar with approx 500g Sloes and add 250 g sugar, then fill to the top with approx 70cl gin. Leave in a cool dark place, and for the first week gently shake each day to ensure the sugar has dissolved. Then leave alone for at least 3 months and best for a year. Strain through muslin placed in a sieve, and bottle and label.

Sloe Gin is lovely on its own, or delicious with tonic water, ice and slice of orange.