Sugar-free Sloe Gin?

[brill]

I went foraging at the weekend and came back with 3 pounds of sloes to make sloe gin. I tried some last Christmas and was very taken with it, so thought I'd give it a go.
All the recipes I've seen are very high in sugar (as much as 1:1 sugar to sloes) so I though I would experiment with some of the sloes using sugar-substitute instead.

Has anyone tried it? Does the sugar in the normal recipe contribute other than sweetness - eg extra fermentation? Which sweetener would you use?

Thanks for any advice!

Brill

 

[WhitbyJet]

Yes we make Sloe Gin every year using Splenda and you cant tell the difference from the sugary gin, tried it with Stevia last year YUK.
Remember though that the sweetener substitutes sugar by volume and not weight. Sugar is heavier than Splenda, you need to find out the volume the amount of sugar you would normally use and then use this volume measure for the Splenda.

 

[brill]

Brilliant - thanks! I've got some Splenda. Do you remember what proportion of Splenda to sloes you normally use?
Brill

 

[WhitbyJet]

Ok this is how we do it and it makes a really nice sloe gin, much better than shop bought, first we freeze the sloes over night, they burst and we dont have to stab them before we put them into the gin.
For a 1.5 litre jar, fill it two-thirds with sloes, add 2 tsp of glycerine and 300ml of Splenda, if you want your drink to be sweeter, increase the amount of Splenda.
Fill the jar to the brim with 40% gin, seal the jar and give it a really good shake. Store in a cool, dark place for 3 months, but dont forget about it, you need to shake it once a week.
After 3 months, strain the liqueur through a filter, bottle it up and it keeps for about a year after that although in our house it gets finished way before then (guests!!)

 

[brill]

Thanks again - I'll let you know how it goes. I don't suppose it will last long in our house either.......

 

[Squire Fulwood]

If you used real sugar to make the sloe gin have you worked out how much of it you would have to drink to give you a problem. I ask because I still have some of last years sloe gin made with sugar in the cupboard.

 

[brill]

I haven't tested with it, I must admit. Although I suspect the high level of alcohol would slow down the sugar absorbtion considerably, I've had unexpected highs from drinking ouzo in the past, so I would treat with caution!

 

[Paul_c]

For a 1.5 litre jar, fill it two-thirds with sloes, add 2 tsp of glycerine and 300ml of Splenda, if you want your drink to be sweeter, increase the amount of Splenda.

is that liquid Splenda or granulated Splenda?

 

[WhitbyJet]

For a 1.5 litre jar, fill it two-thirds with sloes, add 2 tsp of glycerine and 300ml of Splenda, if you want your drink to be sweeter, increase the amount of Splenda.

is that liquid Splenda or granulated Splenda?

Its granulated Splenda, measure it in a jug.

 

[Brunneria]

I just found this very old thread, and am inspired to try making my own LC Sloe Gin this year, when the sloes are ripe.
I have just bought and snaffled a wee 50cl bottle of sloe gin and tawny port. Sublime. Lasted me 3 evenings, so I don't expect to need much.

I have found a number of sugary recipes around, including these,
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/10/nigel-slater-classic-sloe-gin-recipe
and
http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.com/2011/10/sloe-gin-or-vodka-easy-recipe.html
and
https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/sloe-gin
(there are lots of them around)

and will probably use erythritol, since it is the sweetener that works best for me.
I do have small concerns about whether it will dissolve properly. May blitz it to icing sugar consistency before adding it to the liquid.

 

[DCUKMod]

I made some lovely no sugar added rhubarb, with ginger gin a few weeks ago. It was utterly delicions, but almost all gone.

I made ours in the sous viide bath, so it only took an hour (plus cooling, straining anf bottling time), so preffty instant gratification.

It make for an expensive tipple, if you don't have the SV kit.

 

[Brunneria]

Interesting comment on one of the recipe links I put in - saying that the sugar is needed to extract the max sloe juice. Presumably the colour too (which is astonishingly beautiful, like a deep red stained glass window). So now I am speculating whether the erythritol will act in the same way.

Oh well, only one way to find out...

 

[novorapidboi26]

When your making alcohol does the sugar not get used up in the fermenting process....?

I wouldn't expect to see any sugar content in any spirit.....

Am I just being silly.....?

 

[Brunneria]

When you are making the booze from scratch (like when beer or wine ferments) then the sugar gets munched up by the process.
But sloe gin is a finished spirit, which is basically just being flavoured by the sloes, kind of like adding cordial to water.
- at least that is my understanding.
(have to confess that gin is not a favourite of mine, but sloe gin is delicious )

 

[Alison Campbell]

When your making alcohol does the sugar not get used up in the fermenting process....?

I wouldn't expect to see any sugar content in any spirit.....

Am I just being silly.....?

With sloe gin you are flavouring the alcohol rather than making the alcohol.

My partner makes wine with the yeast and sugar. We use champagne yeast as it really uses up the sugar making it stronger and dry. Lethal at around 13% but very few chemicals=no hangovers

 

[Diakat]

We made some last year (with sugar), no observations on blood sugar as I only got one glass, husband and co drank the rest!

 

[BigIain]

Interesting comment on one of the recipe links I put in - saying that the sugar is needed to extract the max sloe juice. Presumably the colour too (which is astonishingly beautiful, like a deep red stained glass window). So now I am speculating whether the erythritol will act in the same way.

Oh well, only one way to find out...

Sipsmiths the gin madhouse say to add the sugar at bottling so you can add to taste. The sugar only sweetens the sloe gin.

I always make sloe gin will try with alternativess this year.

 

[DCUKMod]

I'd forgotten about this thread.

Since my post above, I have made various infused gins (mainly), but am about to enter the world of flavoured vodka and tequila, on request of various family members who have sampled my ®Ginammon brews. That disappears - fast, but I do made small batches!

The water bath approach removes all that waiting nonsense, although I have a batch of fridge aged (yes, as bit different from a cask aged whisky or sherry) ®Ginammon, that's been in there a couple of weeks, so I'll be curious to learn if the flavour intensifies even more. I'll be filtering and bottling that later today or tomorrow.

I have some very ripe blackberries to go into something and will swipe some of my OH's giant mango, which will be going into vodka, in an attempt to sort of make faux-Ciroc.

I'll also be trying LC Drambuie and LC Grand Marnier closer to the festive seasons. It's all a game.

Believe it or not, I'm not, and never have been, a big drinker!

 

[Brunneria]

Had to place an order for sloes.

Have been busily looking for sloe bushes throughout my dog walks for weeks. But have only identified one, which is in a really inaccessible spot. We must be the most sloeless part of the country!
So I have reluctantly placed an online order for fresh sloes (also available dried or frozen).
When they arrive, I will freeze them.
Going to try vodka and gin, with monkfruit sweetener and erythritol. 4 different versions. Half a litre of each.

 

[LooperCat]

The sugar draws the juice from the cells of the sloes and into the gin because of osmosis. As long as the erythritol/gin solution contains less water than the sloes, the juice will get drawn out and into the gin. Going to try it this year...