Ever wondered what you do with your sloes after you have made sloe gin?
From sloe gin, to sloe port and finally sloes in a delicious chocolate sauce over vanilla ice cream.... join us in the sloe journey!
Stage 1 Sloe Gin
After gathering your sloes, the first step is to make sloe gin. You will need:
· 450g sloes
· 225g sugar
· 1 litre gin
Method
1. Prick the tough skin of the sloes all over with a clean needle and put in a large sterilised jar. Alternatively collect them after the first frost and you don't need to do this.
2. Pour in the sugar and the gin, into a wide neck bottle such as a kilner jar and seal tightly and shake well.
3. Store in a cool, dark cupboard and shake every other day for a week. Then shake once a week for at least two months, although the longer the better!
4. Strain the sloe gin through muslin into a sterilised bottle.
5. Keep your sloes for the next stage
Stage 2 Sloe Port
1. With some good quality port, empty half the bottle into another large sterilised jar.
2. Add the sloes to the port. Depending on how many sloes you have whether you use both your containers of port, or just one. You want your port to be totally filled up with the sloes, but so they are still covered in the liquid. Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar and shake well
3. Store in a cool, dark cupboard and shake every other day for a week. Then shake once a week for at least two months, although the longer the better!
4. Strain the sloe port through a sieve and store in a sterilised bottle or the original port bottle if you have used that.
5. Keep your sloes for the next stage
Stage 3 Rich sloes in a chocolate sauce over ice-cream
1. In the last stages, you can now cut up the sloes, cutting around the large stone. This is quite fiddly but you could always freeze some sloes and use only a portion at a time.
2. Melt some dark or milk chocolate and stir through your gin and port soaked sloe pieces. Pour the sauce over vanilla ice cream for the final indulgence.
If you would like to learn more about foraging, why not book a 1:1 course or with a groups of friends? Please get in touch: office@londonbushcraft.com