Non alcoholic sloe gin !

[Jamouk]

As my dad now 89 hasn't drunk for over 17 years , but used to love shooting and the day out with hospitality etc and my first "job" was beating whilst he was shooting as it should be ! , has anyone tried using some of the new batch of Gordon's or Tanquerey non alcoholic gins to knock up a batch of the above ? As want to make some for his 90th ! Would also possibly be good for short days where driving makes drinking prohibitive!

 

[sauer]

That’s a bl00dy good idea !

I really like to partake in that side of a day out and not to get pi5hed!
But the camaraderie and I value my driving licence so would be a good way to be able to partake and feel included

Paul

 

[Quarrybank]

I would be careful of that. Making sloe gin involves leaving the sloes to bleed colour and taste over a period of weeks or months. That works as the alcohol keeps it sterile. If you try that with non alcoholic gin which is effectively flavoured water you could end up with a bacterial ‘soup’.
Look for a flavouring that you can add directly, you might get a sloe berry essence somewhere.

 

[Utectok]

The alcohol free spirts I’ve tried are fine with a mixer but straight not much to talk about

 

[Hook'N'Bullet]

I like a gin but I've tried the 0% Gordons and it tasted like mouthwash. Personally wouldn't bother

 

[Jamouk]

I've got plenty of the alcoholic version for myself !

Seems like quite a few people have tried it online and seems to work OK

 

[Heym SR20]

A little pocket rocket stove under an espresso pot produces a fantastic extract of coffee beans which makes a wonderful tipple, heart starter and eye sharpener on a cold day.

 

[jacre1993]

Could you not put the normal slow gun in a pan and boil it for a bit?
I think this should cook off the alcohol?

That way it would stay fresh and you could make new for him more often while the alcohol keeps yours sterile ?

Not sure if this would work or not but maybe an idea

 

[Buchan]

I'd freeze and then make a compote of the sloes - slow simmer with sugar - and strain the syrup. Test the cordial against a standard sloe gin for sweetness and adjust.

Trouble is many of the flavour chemicals in fruit are soluble in alcohol, but not so soluble in water. you could try setting up a still and boiling off the alcohol (ethanol boils at about 78) but that might damage the flavour.

 

[Mungo]

I'd freeze and then make a compote of the sloes - slow simmer with sugar - and strain the syrup. Test the cordial against a standard sloe gin for sweetness and adjust.

Trouble is many of the flavour chemicals in fruit are soluble in alcohol, but not so soluble in water. you could try setting up a still and boiling off the alcohol (ethanol boils at about 78) but that might damage the flavour.

I have a work colleague who has a still, and does exactly this. It works well enough.

However, what he produces is not really noticeably different from fruit cordials you can get in the supermarket.

Ultimately, all the non alcoholic ‘spirits’ out there are just that: cordial.

 

[angusb1]

My understanding of why sloe gin works and also why sloe jelly where you steep the sloes in boiling water then drain off the juice also works, is that they don't break down the fruit too much so the bitter tannins which are in the flesh aren't extracted and you are left with a sweet liquid. When I tried to make sloes into jam the normal way by mashing them up with boiling water the bitterness makes it very unpleasant. I always freeze the sloes which helps the extraction of the sugary flavour, but I think whatever you do, don't mash the sloes up too much.

When I make sloe jelly I put the frozen sloes in a cloth and put that into a pan of water and boil it for a while. Then after the water has gone a nice plum colour lift out the cloth and put it in a colander or sieve over the pan to let any more juice drain out into the pan. At that point I add pectin to the juice to help it set but you could just add the juice to non-alcoholic gin and you would have no problems with bacteria as anything alive would have been killed by the boiling. This is the same process @Buchan is describing I think.

I reckon heating alcoholic sloe gin in a pan as @jacre1993 says would also work well.

 

[Heym SR20]

Thanks to too many antibiotics to get rid of a post operative infection I can no longer digest wheat or dairy products. There are many dairy free and wheat free products on the market. They mostly taste utterly shite - and thats being polite and rude to shite.

There is plenty of good food to eat that doesn’t or shouldn’t contain milk or wheat products. But you do have to avoid lots of processed foods. Quite why things like salami, sausages and crisps contain wheat and dairy products I haven’t a clue.

As for alcohol free alcohol drinks, or caffeine free coffee my views are pretty similar. But I do question why wine, beers and ciders are now so alcoholic.

Beer used to be 3% or under. It was a thirst quencher, and so was cider. A pint or two had little intoxicating effect. Same with wine. Claret was around 10% and a couple of glasses just made you slightly relaxed.

Nowadays many beers are 5% and wine is typically 13 to 14% and a pint or a glass and you are drunk.

 

[Utectok]

Thanks to too many antibiotics to get rid of a post operative infection I can no longer digest wheat or dairy products. There are many dairy free and wheat free products on the market. They mostly taste utterly shite - and thats being polite and rude to shite.

There is plenty of good food to eat that doesn’t or shouldn’t contain milk or wheat products. But you do have to avoid lots of processed foods. Quite why things like salami, sausages and crisps contain wheat and dairy products I haven’t a clue.

As for alcohol free alcohol drinks, or caffeine free coffee my views are pretty similar. But I do question why wine, beers and ciders are now so alcoholic.

Beer used to be 3% or under. It was a thirst quencher, and so was cider. A pint or two had little intoxicating effect. Same with wine. Claret was around 10% and a couple of glasses just made you slightly relaxed.

Nowadays many beers are 5% and wine is typically 13 to 14% and a pint or a glass and you are drunk.

My daughter is celiac so we get a fair bit of wheat free stuff and it takes work but mostly ok (my daughter is an expert cook and a nutritionist so it’s actually great to have her home to cook) alcohol free beer market has exploded and these days I don’t drink so I rather like the AF beers. Guinness 0.0 is excellent not that I remember the getting drunk stuff as that was 20 yrs ago… I’m getting so bloody old lol.

 

[Heym SR20]

My daughter is celiac so we get a fair bit of wheat free stuff and it takes work but mostly ok (my daughter is an expert cook and a nutritionist so it’s actually great to have her home to cook) alcohol free beer market has exploded and these days I don’t drink so I rather like the AF beers. Guinness 0.0 is excellent not that I remember the getting drunk stuff as that was 20 yrs ago… I’m getting so bloody old lol.

Agreed. As regards wheat free, I much prefer traditional recipes for cakes and puddings etc. So things like Lenon Polenta cake or a fruit cake using ground almonds are superb. They are traditional Italian recipes. The Italians also have many good naturally gluten free pastas made from corn, rice and chickpea flours.

What are terrible are the shop bought gluten free biscuits and cakes. They mostly have consistency of sawdust and overly sugared.

But good fresh ingredients well cooked will always win and there are lots of really good options. The challenges come when eating out or with family. Don’t be fussy I only put a bit of butter on the potatoes - thanks, my guts will now explode for the next few days!!

 

[Utectok]

Agreed. As regards wheat free, I much prefer traditional recipes for cakes and puddings etc. So things like Lenon Polenta cake or a fruit cake using ground almonds are superb. They are traditional Italian recipes. The Italians also have many good naturally gluten free pastas made from corn, rice and chickpea flours.

What are terrible are the shop bought gluten free biscuits and cakes. They mostly have consistency of sawdust and overly sugared.

But good fresh ingredients well cooked will always win and there are lots of really good options. The challenges come when eating out or with family. Don’t be fussy I only put a bit of butter on the potatoes - thanks, my guts will now explode for the next few days!!

my daughter makes excellent cakes as you say mostly with almond flour as you mentioned... she still missed a croissant or two but like you the consequences are not worth it...!