How to make fast sloe gin – that’s ready in a fortnight

How to make fast sloe gin – step by step

• Step 1. Preparing the sloes. Discard any imperfect sloes and remove any leaves or stalks. Wash the sloes well. Place in an ovenproof dish and dust well with most of the caster sugar. Save 75g of sugar to adjust the sweetness later.
• Step 2. Making the syrup. Bake in a low oven (150°C) for about 20 minutes. You may need to add a teaspoon of water to get the syrup to form. As the fruit starts to break down, stir it around to release the red syrup. When the fruit is a complete mush, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool. When cooled, you can adjust the sugar to taste.
• Step 3. Sieving the fruit. Spoon the stewed fruit into a sieve and force the skins and pulp through the mesh using a wooden spoon. This isolates the stones, which are then thrown away. Put the pulp and syrup into a large jar. Rinse out the oven dish and then sieve the last bits of the fruit with some of the gin to make sure that none of the fruit mixture is wasted.
• Step 4. Adding the gin. Top up the jar with the rest of the gin and leave to cool. After 72 hours test the brew for sweetness and add more sugar if you think it needs it. Give it a stir. You may want to add a couple of drops of almond essence. I find this gives the drink a slightly nutty taste. Buy the best almond essence you can and avoid the synthetic stuff, which is normally called almond flavouring.
• Step 5. An extra kick. After a week I add about 75ml of 79.9 per cent Polish pure spirit vodka. Most gins are only 37.5 per cent by volume and I find them rather thin. The Polish firewater supercharges the mixture and gives it body. It’s flavourless and designed as a base for cocktails. You can buy this rocket fuel on the internet.
• Step 6. The waiting game. After a fortnight, the fast sloe gin is ready to drink. You can also ring the changes and use damsons instead of sloes if you fancy a change, can’t get hold of sloes or have discovered a source of damsons.