We have been foraging the Oxfordshire countryside over the last few weeks for lots of ripe sloe berries so we can lay down our next batch of sloe gin for our 2021 vintage release.
It seems to have been another decent year for sloes. The wetter that usual summer, coupled with sporadic spells of sunshine & warmth have really produced some large juicy berries.
We will be washing the fruit today then begin macerating with our London Dry gin tomorrow. We leave the berries in with our gin for at least 3 months. This long steeping process allows plenty of time for the jam & spicey notes to develop in the gin along with a luscious ruby colour. What’s just as important, is this length of time allows all the natural sugars from the berries to move into the gin. We don’t want to be adding lots of sugar at the end to balance the tartness. We want our sloe gin to be a sloe gin, not a liqueur!
Our first bottling run should be ready in time for Christmas 🙂
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