What the poet actually said, of course, was the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”, and he was right. September is here and fruit and berries are ripening on trees and bushes. In particular the perfect purple sloes are starting to drop from the blackthorn bushes that are to be found on the edges of lanes and fields of the Marsh, and now is the time to start to gather them in and begin on this year’s batch of sloe gin.
Sloe gin is the perfect winter warmer. Easy to make, it takes only 3 months or so to become drinkable (although if you can manage to leave it a year or more, perfection can result) and the sloe berry is undoubtedly one of the very best things ever to happen to gin – changing it from a rather uninteresting alcohol to a delicate pink fragrant nectar.
Each year, usually towards the end of January, although it might be a little later in 2018, Rye News organises the Great Rye Sloe Gin Competition. Held at Olde Worlde Wines in Cinque Ports Street. Divided into two categories, new and vintage, the competing gins are put to the taste test by an experienced team of judges who test their taste buds (and livers) to the limit to decide the winners before being carried home to sleep off their labours for the next day or two.
Two years ago, the winner was a complete novice who had never made the brew before, but had found a recipe on the internet, so the competition is open to everyone and anyone really can win it. So get searching for those little berries, start the infusion going and we will see you at Olde Worlde Wines early in 2018.
Photos: John Minter and library image
Image Credits: John Minter .
What do you do with your gin-soaked sloe berries?
I tip them into a Kilner jar and add ruby port (450g sloes to 750 ml port). Screw on lid, shake, leave for three months, strain, bottle, and you have Nelson’s Blood.
Delicious.