Perfect Sloe Gin 2025: Where to find sloes, when to harvest and how to turn them into a delicious tipple
Fancy making your own sloe gin? Here’s everything you need to know.
Winter is well on the way and there are few more delicious tipples to enjoy on a cold dark night than a sloe gin.
Many Scottish producers have their own unique sloe gins for you to buy, but we’re lucky in this country that sloe berries grow naturally in the countryside and parks - meaning that with a little effort you can make your own.
The start of November is traditionally the best time of year to go on a sloe hunt, so you’ll need to get out there in the next few weeks.
Here’s everything you need to know to create a batch of your very own sloe gin in time for Christmas 2026.
What is a sloe berry?
Sloes are the fruit of the blackthorn plant - a shrub with long sharp thorns which has been traditionally used in Britain to make cattle-proof hedges.
Hundreds of years ago the berries were reputed to have magical powers, playing a major part in Scottish herbal medicine of the day, while the tree itself signified death and warfare.
In Scottish witchcraft the start of winter was marked with a ceremony that would see the ground thrashed with a blackthorn staff.
Too bitter to eat raw, in the modern day sloes can be made into jam and chutney or used in fruit pies. The most popular use, however, is to make sloe gin - versions of which exist all over Europe, including the Basque drink patxaran.
Where can I find sloes
Blackthorn trees and bushes grow all over Scotland but the location of the best sloes is often a closely-guarded secret to allow gin makers to wait until the perfect time to harvest without somebody getting there first. Matters are complicated somewhat by the fact that not all blackthorn trees will bear fruit every year for a number of reasons, including over-harvesting or being cut back.
The truth is that they can be found everywhere from remote countryside to city parks. Your best bet is to search hedgerows separating agricultural fields.
A good tip is to hunt for blackthorns in spring, when their dense white blossom is hard to miss. Take a note of the location, return in autumn, and hope you're the only one to have spotted them.
How to identify sloes
The blackthorn can be identified by its small (up to 5cm), oval leaves with slightly serrated edges, a slightly sticky top surface and hairy underside.
It tends to grow in a bush-like structure as part of a hedgerow and has long straight thorns (so be careful when you. The sloes themselves should be round and purple in colour. Damsons (which can also be used to flavour gin) are larger and more oval in shape.
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When is it best to harvest sloes?
To make the best sloe gins you want the sloes to be as ripe as possible, meaning they will be a rich dark purple colour and have some give when you squash them between your fingers. If they have started dropping off the bush onto the ground it's a good sign.
Traditionally people would wait until after the first frost of the winter to pick them. but with increasingly mild winters in Scotland that's not ofter practical. The first two weeks of November tend to be the best time for a sloe harvest.
How to make sloe gin
Ingredients: 500g of sloes, 250g sugar, 70cl of gin
Step One: Wash the sloes, remove any stems and prick each sloe with a cocktail stick.
Step Two: Place the sloes into the freezer overnight
Step Three: Put the frozen sloes into an airtight 1.5 litre jar (Kilner jars are perfect for this), add the sugar and then slowly pour in the gin of your choice (we prefer a plain London Dry, but any non-flavoured gin will be fine).
Step Four: Place the jar in a dark, cool cupboard away from central heating pipes.
Step Five: For the first week, give the jar a good shake every day until you can see that all the sugar has fully dissolved.
Step Six: Leave the jar for a minimum of three months - although the best tasting slow gins require you to be patient for around a year. It means you'll have a lovely drink for Christmans next year.
Step Seven: Decant into bottle - smaller ones make great gifts.
Step Eight: Drink it! Enjoy it neat, or with lemon tonic over ice with a citrus garnish.
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