Ken, go figure……I learned something new today about gin and tonic and quinine……that latter of those three would cause me to avoid drinking it on it’s own or in anything, (gin or otherwise) in excessive amounts……after reading the negative effects, I’ll stick with scotch or wine! Lolololo

debra

what the article totally ignored

juniper is a kind of weed of grazing pastures, the stuff (mostly) sheep wont touch, so, in poor pastures grazed by sheep regularly nearly evereything else is munched down - exept the prickly juniper (probably some alcaloid in it as well)

and guess what, Gin with botanicals is a very sexy topic around here right now, with some small destilleries popping up

and I personally had a job recently planning a roof top planting based on those botanicals.

3 pages of plants for

root stuff

bark

leaf

fruit as an inspiration for the start

from all over the world

so I had some explaining to to and cross out the non-frost-hardy

that was really a fun assignment, and I hope I can see it a while after planting

---

other alcohol...

did you guys read about stuff -I think- called flap jack?

it was in a book about apples,

back in the early days of folks setteling in Amerika, they used the cooking apples to make cider / apply wine and then- lacking destilleries-

put the stuff outside in the frost

water freezes first, so after removing several bits of ice you would end up with a potant drink, not necccessarily aromatic...

ken, you were writing on the winter structure post about vodka and potatoes. You understand that vodka can be made from any starch or sugar. IIRC, vodkas anymore are just made from simple cane sugar or something easily available like corn syrup. It really doesn't matter.

I found this article. Then this one. Plus this. I do not drink much but I am bored lol!

And then there is spruce beer. I hear Sitka spruce is favored, but Blue, Red, Black and Engelmann are also used.

tj

this is a beer that literally tastes like pine... though apparently its the hops..not actual pine.. who knew ....

https://www.hopculture.com/bells-two-hearted-best-beer-in-america/

bells was a local kalamazoo business recently sold to international conglomerate ..

anyone know anything about sloe?

ken

George Washington's spruce ale.

https://byo.com/recipe/valley-forge-winter-spruce-ale/

There's a Benjamin Franklin recipe spruce ale I buy sometimes here. Very good w/a taste of spruce resin. Yards brewery isn't far from me -- Philadelphia, PA.

https://yardsbrewing.com/collections/revolutionary/products/poor-richards-spruce-ale

you make wine out of it with wooden spoons?

so ... i take it its a shrub ...

wonder why they added it to gin .. anyway ... : https://diydistilling.com/what-is-sloe-gin/

im must have missed how blackthorn berries.. from the plum family.. came to be called sloe ... sounds derogatory.. lol ...

this gobblygook came from the link that follows:

The word commonly used for the fruit, "sloe", comes from Old English slāh, cognate with Old High German slēha, slēwa, and Modern German Schlehe.[13] Other cognate forms are Frisian and Middle Low German[a] slē, Middle Dutch slee, slie, sleeu; Modern Dutch slee; Modern Low German slee/slē, slī;[13][14] Danish slåen.[13]

The names related to 'sloe' come from the common Germanic root slaihwō. Compare Old Slavic, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Ukrainian and Russian слива (sliva, Ukr. slyva),[14][13] West Slavic / Polish śliwa; plum of any species, including sloe śliwa tarnina—root present in other Slavic languages, e.g. Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian šljiva / шљива.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_spinosa

still am not catching why the term or word sloe???

ken

That isn't wine. It’s sloe gin. The bushes are very spiny and form miles of stock proof hedges here. As for why ’sloe’, your link gives you the answer. Btw they are not berries. They contain a single pit, not seeds. The spoons give it a little extra something.... and they are useful for the daily stirring required.

That is a truly lovely color on the sloe gin floral! What kind of gin do you use? Or do you find it does not matter what kind you use?

I use the cheapest supermarket own brand gin I can find. I make about 5 litres (1.3 US gallons) each autumn and it is ready at Christmas for gifts.

As for why ’sloe’, your link gives you the answer.

===>> i presumed it did.. and stated my frustration at repeatedly missing it.. thanks for enlightening me...

Ken-

Lookie HERE! You should try a Sloe Gin Fizz! Very good indeed.

Floral_uk-

Please add me to your Christmas list!!!

-Babka ;-)

I just looked at the link Babka. Unfortunately they have illustrated it with a picture of Privet berries. Not a good idea to make those into gin. 🙁

I don't think I have ever seen a blackthorn bush. GOOD thing that YOU know the difference when you are preparing your Christmas Gifts. I recall a sweet beautifully colored Sloe Gin Fizz cocktail from years ago and never really thought how it was made. You may have re-awakened my taste buds.

-Babka

I think @Babka NorCal 9b, @ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5, and I (plus any others I'm not aware of) need to plan a Polish cultural historical gathering, and share all these Sloe Gin and Paczki items - not to mention a bit of polka, pierogi, and potica...

Czarnina and kishka as well.

tj

There’s no mistaking sloes for Privet berries in the flesh. They are very different in appearance and growth habit, as are the bushes.

Blackthorn hedge.

This is why it's called Black thorn. Every twig ends in a sharp point, as well as having spines.