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The Hedgecombers

A Field-to-Fork Foodie Adventure

Homemade Sloe Vodka

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Fancy sipping some homemade Sloe Vodka this Christmas? It’s such an easy tipple to make, and the perfect homemade gift to give to your favourite people.

Homemade sloe vodka in glass bottles on a wooden table with sloes

This homemade Sloe Vodka is growing my stash of home grown booze a treat!

My blackberry flavoured vodka is still in the brewing phase, although it is now ready to strain (and taste test!).

And whilst our blackcurrants were an epic failure this year, I did still manage to lay down one lonely bottle of my homemade blackcurrant cassis for the darker months.

Picking sloes for sloe vodka

There’s something very oldy worldy about cracking open a bottle of a hedgerow brew that you picked yourself to share with loved ones on a cold winters night. And keeping the best bottle from each batch, till dusty and forgotten is the ultimate foragers tax.

Homemade Sloe Vodka

So, in case you want to brew up a batch of this homemade slow vodka yourself, the recipe couldn’t be any easier.

First up, you need to get your wellies on and hit the hedgerows. You’re looking for blackthorn bushes, and they’re pretty easy to spot at this time of year as they have vicious little inch long spikes on the branches, and clusters of black fruit that look like this:

Homemade sloe vodka in glass bottles on a wooden table with sloes

There’s probably a reason not to use those wrinkly imperfect fruit, but I gather them all. Or at least all that I can reach.

Then you need to combine them with vodka and sugar for about a month. Then strain and store in sterilised bottles where they will sit happily until you can bear to break into your stash!

Sloes are part of the plum family, so inside that black skin with a whitish bloom, you’ll find an orangey yellow flesh and a single flatish stone.

On getting your stash home, wash them well and dry in a clean tea towel. You ‘should’ pick sloes after the first frost, but frosts aren’t all that common down here in Cornwall, so I popped mine in the freezer until I was ready to make this quick video…

5 from 1 vote
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Homemade Sloe Vodka
Prep Time
10 mins
 
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: British
Keyword: sloe vodka, sloe vodka recipe
Calories: 969 kcal
Author: Jane Sarchet
Ingredients
  • 1 kg sloes
  • 250 g sugar
  • 1 bottle (70cl) vodka
UK Measurements - USA Measurements
Instructions

  1. Freeze and/or prick the sloes to allow the juice out. Pile into one (or more) sterilised glass jars.

  2. Tip in the sugar, pour in the vodka and stir a little.

  3. Pop the lid on tightly and store somewhere cool and dark, stirring/shaking occasionally.

  4. After 2-4 weeks, strain off the vodka and seal in sterilised bottles. The alcohol content means that it will keep indefinitely.

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Sloe Vodka
Amount Per Serving
Calories 969
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 249g 83%
Sugars 249g
Protein 0g 0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  12. Been making sloe vodka for 5 years now and it is an easy tipple to make.truely unique taste and a smooth drink.

    Reply

  13. I started my sloe vodka on 30th October but have just been reading that I should have kept in a cool dark room. I have had mine away from the window in my kitchen as I wanted to be able to see it to remind me to shake it. Have I ruined it?
    I was so looking forward to putting it in little bottles and giving as Christmas presents. I would be very grateful for your views.

    Reply

    • Hey Steve! Honestly, you’ve got me there. I’m going to guess on yes, as honey is used as a preserving agent like sugar, and the alcohol will offer more preserving powers.
      However if anyone knows any different please let us know?
      And Steve if you try it – would you let me know how it goes?
      Jane x

      Reply

  15. Made a bottle blackberry vodka and a bottle of sloe gin. Blackberry vodka is lovely, haven’t cracked the sloe gin open yet, made both in October 2017, using your recipe. Have just put a sloe vodka to marinate, hope it’s as good as the blackberry. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Sonja, that’s so awesome to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a message, it truly made my day! I’d be interested in hearing whether you prefer the sloe gin or the sloe vodka (and I think I need to do a little taste test of to two too!)
      Jane x

      Reply

  16. I’m in central France and this year the hedgerow fruits have been overwhelmingly fantastic.
    I’ve got a couple of litre’s of Sloe Vodka and Sloe White Rum on the go. Only got a couple of litres of each as funds run out before the fruit did. This is the first time I’ve tried sloes with white rum. Hope it turns out OK.
    Also got Damson Rum and Damson vodka so we’ll be set up for Christmas and (hopefully) well into the New Year.

    Reply

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