Damson gin

[goodtimes]

Have a glut of damsons. Have made sloe gin many times, but never damson. Has anyone got a tried and tested recipe?

For sloe gin I use 1lb of soes, 1lb of sugar and 1 bottle of gin.

Thanks in advance

 

[leflynn]

I use the same recipe for both but just drop the sugar a bit according to how the damsons are

 

[Happy Hunter]

as above - Dad prefers it to the sloe version.
He buys Waitrose 'value' gin - works well

 

[Alec Swan]

Having tried the system that you have, OP, I happened to meet up with a man who produces the suff in near commercial form. what he suggested, was this;

4 bottles (70cl) of Gin, 1 lb of fruit and 1 lb of sugar.

I doubted him, except that the stuff which he forced upon me, two seasons ago was evidence that he was entirely correct. With the previous 1 bottle to one pound of fruit and sugar (it works equally well with sloes or damsons), so the resultant concoction was always too sweet. With 25% of the additives added to the gin, so it's a vast improvement, at least, that's what I think.

I've made uncounted gallons of the stuff over the years and ALWAYS place the fruit (of whatever type), in the freezer to simulate frost. I have a potted theory that it helps the colour and flavour leech out and in to the gin, a bit quicker. I've just set down this years batch, and the odd cautious 'testing' will be at about the end of October, depending upon colour. Adding sugar, gin or even fruit, subsequently is a relatively simple matter.

Alec.

 

[goodtimes]

Having tried the system that you have, OP, I happened to meet up with a man who produces the suff in near commercial form. what he suggested, was this;

4 bottles (70cl) of Gin, 1 lb of fruit and 1 lb of sugar.

I doubted him, except that the stuff which he forced upon me, two seasons ago was evidence that he was entirely correct. With the previous 1 bottle to one pound of fruit and sugar (it works equally well with sloes or damsons), so the resultant concoction was always too sweet. With 25% of the additives added to the gin, so it's a vast improvement, at least, that's what I think.

I've made uncounted gallons of the stuff over the years and ALWAYS place the fruit (of whatever type), in the freezer to simulate frost. I have a potted theory that it helps the colour and flavour leech out and in to the gin, a bit quicker. I've just set down this years batch, and the odd cautious 'testing' will be at about the end of October, depending upon colour. Adding sugar, gin or even fruit, subsequently is a relatively simple matter.

Alec.

Thank you Alec, with 12lb of damsons I make that 48 bottles of gin....fabulous.