Talk:Sloe gin

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I do not understand the equivalency implied between "4oz" and the "200g" in parentheses. Is the ounce measure meant to be a volume? If it is a mass, then the two seem to be unequal. What is the correct measure of sugar?

It is a typo - thanks for noticing - it should (and now does ) read 100g although it is all a matter of taste and either amount would probably make a drinkable Sloe gin ! Velela 21:32, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Don't agree with the 15 - 30% - this might be true for shop-bought sloe gin, but homemade gin is more potent than gin itself - ie over 40%

Sorry, but it isn't. As someone who regularly makes it and measures the strength, the alcohol in the Gin is diluted both by the water from the fruit and the added sugar. There are no processes used (i.e. no fermentation) than can increase the alcoholic strength, only decrease it. 18:05, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Im drinking some sloe gin right now, it isnt homemade however it is not commercial, it was bought on Lindisfarne and is made in the traditional way, it is 25% ABV and as previously said the alcohol content cannot be increaed in a liqueur, the sugar is not for fermentation but to sweeten the drink, a liqueur is just an infusion of spirit and other flavours like fruit juices, herbs etc Angryafghan 22:06, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Hi. I would suggest it is going to be related to the ABV of the gin you start out with...If you use standard British Gordan's, then yes it must be less than 38/39% but I make mine with some export strength 47% Bombaby Sapphire, which because I use very little sugar and quite dry sloes, brings it to a cool 40%. --GeologyTom 15:17, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Contents 1 British? 2 sugar? 3 Pricking? 4 Contradictory instructions

[edit] British?

Is sloe gin a mainly British thing - then it should be categorised as such - or is there anywhere else where it's made?--JBellis 19:58, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

There are "sloe gins" from other countries, particularly from Germany. However, the German term for sloe gin is Schlehenlikör, literally sloe liqueur, since German sloe gin can be made of gin, vodka or white rum, but most commercial brands of German sloe gin are made of neutral grain spirits, like most brands of British sloe gin. Schlehenfeuer is an unusually strong German sloe gin. Technically, a Schlehenlikör made of vodka or rum isn't a sloe "gin", but the same can apply to sloe gin made of neutral grain spirits and in the English speaking world, Schlehenlikör is always considered "German sloe gin. 86.56.0.159 17:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] sugar?

my mum makes it without sugar, and it's great - so I would question the need for sugar mentioned here. raining girl 00:52, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

Depends how quickly you drink it. We have just had to throw away some 2001 vintage because of too low sugar content which allowed a secondary fermentation to establish. If you like sloe gin very dry and can drink it quickly, it might be OK with little or low sugar but this might be better described as sloe flavoured gin. There is no doubt that the osmotic effect of a sugar solution helps to extract maximum taste and colour. It is fairly easy to do the experiments with weighed amounts of berries subjected to different sugar concentrations. It may have to wait 10 months (in the Northern hemisphere ) or 4 months (for those in the south) for fresh sloes to be available for the required experimentation. Velela 15:14, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pricking?

I have been told that an alternative to pricking each and every sloe is to freeze the berries, a process which splits the skins, saves a tedious task and prevents clothes getting covered in little purple dots.

It is very inefficient in my experience. It might work best if you have very fat sloes, but the best sloe gin tends to be from berries left longer on the bush and that have just started to shrivel. This concentrates flavour and reduces diluting juice. With these sloes, freezing has no effect at all (except to make them colder !). Velela 15:09, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Contradictory instructions

The directions for making this are self-contradictory:

"fill the jar with gin... as well as the almond essence"

Then:

"Made in this way... avoiding the need to add almond essence"

Which is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.178.238.106 (talk) 19:23, 17 October 2007 (UTC)