A date has been finalised for the great Rye News Sloe Gin Competition of 2017.
It will be held in the usual venue of Olde Worlde Wines in Cinque Ports Street on Thursday, January 26, 2017. Entries need to be 250ml of the ruby nectar and delivered no later than 7:30pm. Judging will start at 8pm. The winners will be announced immediately judging is concluded – providing the judges are still on their feet and capable of communicating.
But this is not the only sloe gin competition in the area. On Wednesday, December 14, the World Championships, no less, will be held at the George Inn, Frant, to decide the very best of artisan sloe gin makers. There is little to beat this delicious and heart-warming drink on a cold winter evening – or morning, for that matter, the World Championships start at 11am!
And just to add a totally useless piece of information (unless you are a pub quizzer), the blackthorn (from which the sloes come) is not only famed for the little purple berries but also for its wood which is highly prized for the making of walking sticks – something that the judges at the George and Olde Worlde Wines may well need to help them home after their strenuous tasks are finished.
Photo: Kenneth Bird
Image Credits: Simon Kershaw .