Homemade Sloe Gin Recipes

While there are some lovely sloe gins available, nothing could be more satisfying than making your own batch of this stunning, deep purple flavoured gin.

And with the blackthorn bushes around the country heaving with an abundance of sloe berries almost ready for you to pick, then now - September - is the perfect season to try your hand at this lovely recipe.

Ok, so now you’re wondering, what does that mean - what’s the difference between gin and sloe gin? And what does sloe gin taste like?

Sloe Gin Fizz

Well, while ginis made from distilling a base spirit with juniper and additional herbs and spices to create a clear spirit that’s about 40% alcohol, sloe ginis made by combining an existing gin with lots of sugar andsloeberries. Over time, the flavour of the sloe berries steeps into the gin, and the mixture forms into a deep, fruity and sweet ruby-red liqueur. Due to this process, the alcohol level for sloe gin is also lower than ‘normal’ gin, at about 20%.

So in summary: sloe gin is red in colour, has a fruity berry flavour, a sweeter, more syrupy texture than gin, and is lower in alcohol.

As sloe gin is a liqueur, you might choose to drink it in a slightly different way from gin - it’s lovely neat or over ice, with no need for tonic or mixer, for example. It’s also absolutely delicious in cocktails! See more of our serving suggestions below.

Infused Maple Sloe Gin

First, you need to decide if you want to make sloe gin from ripe, frozen or dried berries. We recommend picking your own berries for maximum flavour (and sense of achievement!).

Despite the rumour that you need to wait until after the first frost of the year (that’s just to soften the skin, which helps the juice to seep out) it’s really just down to looking at the fruits and giving them a squeeze to see if they are ripe and ready.

The berries should feel soft enough to have a bit of give, exactly like a ripe plum. If they’re still hard - give them a miss for a few weeks, then try again.

Sloe Gin Fizz Recipe

So when is the best time to pick sloes? Usually, sloes will start to be ripe enough to pick in early autumn; those that have ripened in the sunshine will be ready first, and will also likely be sweeter than those that have grown in the shade. (Oh, but please note - as tempting as they look, sloes do NOT taste good raw! Pop one in your mouth and you’ll end up pulling a face not even a mother could love…)

You can freeze your berries until you’re ready to make your sloe gin - in fact, the freezing sloes makes their skins burst, which can help speed up the maceration process when you do start to make your liquid.

If it’s not the season for sloes, you can still make sloe gin from dried berries, which are available in many shops or online all year round. Check out our blog here for a good recipe.

Making Sloe Gin With Dried Sloes

It will take all of two minutes - honest - to actually prepare your homemade sloe gin; then all you need to do is wait!

It will take at least four weeks for your gin to take on a really rich flavour and colour, and you can leave it for much longer if you wish - we’d recommend up to three months. Many people leave their sloe gin to steep for years!

So if you’re planning on making some sloe gin to bottle and wrap up as a Christmas gift for the gin lover in your life, try to get your batch underway by the start of November.

Sloe Gin Fizz: Ingredients + Recipe

Looking for a nice bottle for your homemade sloe gin? You can buy these easily online - here are a few of our favourites at time of writing:

So when is the best time to pick sloes? Usually, sloes will start to be ripe enough to pick in early autumn; those that have ripened in the sunshine will be ready first, and will also likely be sweeter than those that have grown in the shade. (Oh, but please note - as tempting as they look, sloes do NOT taste good raw! Pop one in your mouth and you’ll end up pulling a face not even a mother could love…)

You can freeze your berries until you’re ready to make your sloe gin - in fact, the freezing sloes makes their skins burst, which can help speed up the maceration process when you do start to make your liquid.

If it’s not the season for sloes, you can still make sloe gin from dried berries, which are available in many shops or online all year round. Check out our blog here for a good recipe.

Making Sloe Gin With Dried Sloes

It will take all of two minutes - honest - to actually prepare your homemade sloe gin; then all you need to do is wait!

It will take at least four weeks for your gin to take on a really rich flavour and colour, and you can leave it for much longer if you wish - we’d recommend up to three months. Many people leave their sloe gin to steep for years!

So if you’re planning on making some sloe gin to bottle and wrap up as a Christmas gift for the gin lover in your life, try to get your batch underway by the start of November.

Sloe Gin Fizz: Ingredients + Recipe

Looking for a nice bottle for your homemade sloe gin? You can buy these easily online - here are a few of our favourites at time of writing: