Picture: Wellcome Library, London.
It is not illegal to own a still in the UK but it is illegal to make alcohol unless you have a distiller’s licence: I believe penalties for a first offence include a fine of up to £6,500, five years in jail or both. I would submit that this draconian punishment has more to do with the tax man than it does with any temperance movement. There’s nothing to stop us, though, buying booze someone else has made legally and putting our own spin on it.
Sloe gin is an annual favourite. Last year we made bullace gin for the first time and it is stonkingly good, alone or as a cocktail ingredient. The blood orange shrub (an old name for an an acidulated alcohol) is a bit too marmalade-y for my taste.
The general rule of thumb when making sloe or bullace gin (or vodka or whatever) is to fill a wide-mouthed sealable jar half to two-thirds full with fruit, add a judicious amount of sugar and top it up with the alcohol of your choice.
Wash the fruit and pick out any that are bruised or manky. Sloes should be either pricked with a darning needle (if hard) or frozen first (if ripe) to allow the juices to run.
Bullace gin
The amount of sugar is a matter of taste, anywhere between 150-450g per 450g of fruit and about 600 ml of gin. I would err on the side of caution – you can always add more sugar later. And there’s no point using expensive booze – go for the supermarket stuff.
Seal the jar and give it a good shake every day for a week until the sugar has dissolved, then put it in a cool, dark place and leave it for at least a couple of months.
Taste it, and if it’s not sweet enough for you, add a dash of strong sugar syrup. Strain and bottle it and try to leave it alone. A year to 18 months is good with sloe gin (you can see why it’s advisable to make this an annual event) but we rarely manage to keep our hands off it for that long. This year we’re making ratafia.
This can be either a fortified wine or a fruit- or herb-based liqueur or cordial, often made with peaches, cherries or grapes. Lacking a Mediterranean climate we plumped for a quince version using brandy. I’m longing to taste it.
Quince Ratafia
Jane Grigson, in her book Good Things, suggests adding cinnamon, ginger and mace, 3/4 tspn of each. I chose to leave these out and let the quince speak for itself. I used a 2 litre Kilner jar for the following quantities.
Ingredients:
4 medium quinces
200 g sugar (see below)
About 1.3 litres of brandy
Method:
Wash the fluff off the quinces, dry them and grate them, skin, cores and all. Place in the sterilised jar and add the sugar – again, you can add more later if it’s too sour. Add the spices if you’re using them. I’d be inclined to use small quantities of whole spices rather than the powdered version, to avoid making the booze cloudy.
Top up the jar with brandy, seal, and give it a shake every day for a week until the sugar has dissolved. Store in a cool, dark place for between one and three months before straining and bottling. Roll on Christmas.
Postscript: Having tried the finished product, it was a bit sickly for my taste, but I don’t like very sweet liqueurs. Use less sugar if you’re of a like mind – you can add sugar syrup later if it’s too tart but you can’t take it out.
I’m liking the sound of this! Do you think it will taste similar to the paste? Our sloe gin is already a’steeping and is smelling very good.
I’m not entirely sure, Jane, as I’ve never made it before but as Jane Grigson says, anything with quince in it has to be good. The sloe and bullace gins are looking good here too. We’ll be totally squiffy all winter at this rate.
Same longing to taste this gorgeous ratafia here, too. A great aperitif in my book. Bullace gin, can you send some? My Mum used to make sloe gin every year, I think she should revive the tradition (I’ll call her now). Have a great weekend! Nicole
Thank you, Nicole. You’re very welcome to a tasting session with any of them – just drop in!
With pleasure, I am so planning the detour through lovely Suffolk to visit you, gosh, I wish I knew when we’ll go next time. 😉 N
Don’t worry, I’ve made gallons, there’s no way we’ll drink it all any time soon. 😀
Oooh, as a dedicated sloe gin maker, you had me worried for a moment. I’ll continue buying the raw booze then. I’ve made quince hooch before, and nobody much liked it. But brandy? Maybe that’s worth a go.
Give me a few months and I’ll report back … I think it would be lovely used in cooking if all else fails. There’s a lovely Jane Grigson recipe where you marinate quail with quince and brandy – how much better to use quince brandy? 🙂
Love quinces! I hope I can find some here to try this.
Me too. Cheers, S.A., and thanks for re-blogging. Lx
Reblogged this on A single serving and commented:
This really says fall.