sloe gin question

Someone has given me a recipie for sloe gin but sadly I dont know where any sloes grow! can the same recipe be used with damsons/plums do you think?

 

Hi there LG,
Don't have a recipe as such, but regularly make damson gin- just as tasty if not tastier than sloe gin. Just quarter fill a wide mouthed bottle with damsons, add a couple of spoons of sugar and top up with gin. Leave for at least 3 months (but gets better the longer you keep it.) Shake it occasionally.
Never tried it with plums.
I know with sloes, you shouldn't leave them in for more than 3 months otherwise it imparts a bitter taste, but that doesn't happen with damsons- at least I am currently drinking a bottle of damson gin from Nov 2004 and it tastes grrrrrrreeeeaaaaat. When say 'currently', I don't mean at this moment. I try not to drink before 10am!!!!!

 

That's an easy recipe, PJ .. and, by the way, I don't think I've said welcome to GC, so ... Welcome to GC! You should put the recipe in the Recipe section as I'm sure there's a few folk out there who would like to have a go at it! :D

I didn't know sloes were the same family as damsons and plums, MF! Do you have a sloe tree or what kind of shrub / tree do they come from?

 

do you ahve to prick the damsons like you do with sloes? or are their skins not so tough?

 

You don't have to prick the sloes' skins, you can put them ine freezer which will burst their skins, but for me part of the pleasure is sitting with someone, preferably in front of a log fire, stabbing the sloes and thinking of pleasures to come...