Sloely Sloely Catchy Monkey

For all those hankering after another Sloe-based pun and an update on the gin...

It looks like this and it tastes like cough mixture.

I am hoping that further time thinking about what it's done will improve the situation...

Sloe, Sloe, Quick-Quick...

A playdate fell through this week, so I decided to spend the time I would have been drinking tea on another beverage... sloe gin.

I have tried in the past for fruit liquers, although this is my first foray into sloes. I have a friend who is able to produce marvellous, toothsome, fruity beverages; my efforts usually have the tang of raw ethanol with a hint of fruit.

Still, this doesn't put me off. Armed with a recipe I got from the internet, I went a-foraging in the hedgerows and emerged with a small bag of sloes.

Day One

Recipe

150g sloes
75g caster sugar
35cl gin

• Prick sloes with a pin
• Put sloes, sugar and gin in sterilised jar.
• Shake jar, then place in babyproof cupboard.
• Wait.

It'll take ages for anything to happen, I thought. Like the whole thing is going to go purple overnight? P'ctha!

Day Two - The whole thing went purple overnight.

Still got to wait until Christmas to drink it, though...

Free food!

Well, almost.

One of the benefits of slinging your baby for a walk when he's being an awkward little toad in need of distraction, is that you can wander around the countryside and acquire blackberries and (with a mild act of scrumping) two large apples. These can then be taken home and rendered into one large crumble. Hurrah!

Om nom nom