Rye News’ annual Sloe Gin competition will be held on Friday, March 27 at 7:30pm in the Tudor Room of the Mermaid Hotel, Mermaid Street. Judging will start at 8pm and one of the judges this year has been a judge at the Sloe Gin world championships.
Entries must be in a glass container containing at least 100ml of sloe gin for judging (more if possible so we all can have a taste). It must be home made and be labelled with the name of the person entering. If you want to enter but cannot come on the evening you can take your sloe gin to the Mermaid Inn reception before March 27.
All entries will be blind tasted by the judges. There is no entry fee but any donations to Rye News would always be appreciated.
Entrants will have the opportunity to take part in next year’s world championships.
If there is sufficient interest we will have a category for professional sloe gin, i.e. producers who retail their product to the public, and compare them with the home brew.
In the last two years there has been some very nice damson gin to sample, and if you have also brewed any other spirit based tipple such as blackberry whiskey, elderberry liqueur, raspberry gin, damson gin or elderflower gin, please bring that along.
It always seems a shame to bin those gin-soaked sloe berries once the gin has finished infusing. Much better to turn any leftover sloes into moreish chocolates.
It’s a simple enough operation: remove any remaining pips from your berries, lay them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet, and dust with cinnamon and orange zest.
Melt good quality chocolate in a double boiler and pour over the berries until well coated. Leave to chill in the freezer until they’re set. The results are delicious and sure to go quickly.
Image Credits: John Minter .