OK, so I’ve picked about 2kg of sloes. They’re in the freezer at the moment. Made some before a couple of years ago with some good results, but I wanted to try some variants this year. In the past I’ve used caster sugar to sweeten, along with a couple of cinnamon sticks. I was thinking of using demerara sugar this time. Any recommendations? What tastes good?

Used Gordons spiced gin for mine… will definately do it again!

Got my eye on a couple of bushes now. I was planning to wait for the first frost but as it’s still stupidly warm I’m scared that I might miss the boat!

It’ll be the first time I’ve done it so I’m going for the simplest option: http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/the-great-sloe-gin-challenge-three-variations-of-our-recipe-442

I’d be picking them now, round my way they sloes have all gone off. The first frosts thing is bobbins.

Last years batch I made using the goodhousekeeping recipe. It said to add a few drops of vanilla essence, it was a great success, you did get a suptle hint of vanilla. This year I will be making it with vanilla sugar. Put a couple of vanilla pods in a large jar of sugar, hey pretso vanilla sugar after a month.

Read something about 50/50 mix with Damsons. Also, a mate cracks the seeds in some of the sloes as it imparts some nuttiness to the drink apparently.

First time for me as well this year so will be experimenting.

A few almonds has been recommended to me before. I tried it with vanilla sugar – not sure about that one. Honey one was OK last year – might have been the mix not right.

Throw a few damsons in too? Perhaps some blackberries? I tend to stick to sloes (with broken skin – really important), sugar and alcohol – then try different things later.

The first frosts thing is bobbins

yes, I think the idea is that the skin splits and allows the flavour to mix with the gin better. If you freeze them it has the same effect.

I thought the first frost thing was because the tree starts to suck back some of the stuff in the berries that make them bitter when it gets cold. So freezing afterward is no good.

OK, kind of assumed that it was to do with the skins, so I could well be wrong.