Make your own sloe gin-spiked mince pies this Christmas using this easy recipe!
Dec 6, 2023
There is no denying it: mince pies are a much-loved staple of the Christmas diet (to use the term loosely!). However, as with so many things in life, we believe adding a splash of booze to these festive pastries can take them to the next level.
That’s why we just have to share our amazing, and really simple, Sloe Gin Minced Pie recipe. Yes, sloe gin! This easy mince pie recipe is the perfect way to treat any sloe gin fans.
For this mince pie recipe, we show you how to make a wonderfully biscuity, buttery shortcrust pasty by combining butter, flour, sugar and an egg.
Of course, you can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry if you don’t have the time to make your pastry at home. Christmas is a very busy time of the year!
For the sloe gin-infused mince pie filling, this recipe calls for you to combine mincemeat with winter fruit like apples, dried cranberries and dried apricots. All you have to do then is soak everything in the sloe gin before adding to the pastry cases. It could not be easier!
All you have to do then is bake your mince pies in the oven, filling the house with wonderfully festive aromas.
The preparation time for this recipe is around 15 minutes and the baking time is no longer than 20 minutes. So you sure have these mince pies whipped up in no time at all.
This recipe works great with shop-bought, ready-made sloe gin and it is just as good with homemade sloe gin.
Whichever sloe gin you choose, the berry-like sweet gin liqueur will add a delightful warmth and depth of flavour to your mince pies that are simply divine.
For the pastry
(Either buy 375g shortcrust pastry; or, if you want to make your own:)
375g plain flour
260g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 large egg
For the mincemeat
Unsalted butter, for greasing
Plain flour, for dusting
200g good-quality mincemeat
250ml sloe gin - either bought or homemade
½ an apple, peeled and chopped into small chunks
1 Tsp stem ginger, finely chopped
75g dried cranberries
50g dried apricots, finely chopped
A pinch of mixed spice
1 Large free-range egg
Icing sugar, for dusting
To make the pastry:
Preheat oven to 180C (fan) /Gas 5. Using the butter, grease a 12-hole muffin tin. Add the flour and butter into a large mixing bowl and rub to a crumb consistency. Add the sugar and the egg, and mix together.
Dust some flour onto your kitchen table and tip the mixture onto it, then fold until the pastry comes together. Wrap your pastry in clingfilm and put it in the fridge for 10 mins.
Sprinkle flour onto your kitchen table and rolling pin and roll half the pastry out to approximately the thickness of a pound coin. Use a pastry cutter to cut out 12 circles, then pop them into your muffin tin and back in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the second half of the pastry to the same thickness. Using a smaller pastry cutter, cut out another 12 circles to be your pie lids.
To make the mincemeat:
Spoon your mincemeat into the mixing bowl, pour in the sloe gin, add the apple, ginger, dried fruits and mixed spice and mix together.
You can add as much or as little gin as you like (we're not judging!)
Tip: leave it for a few minutes each time and the fruit will soak up the alcohol, the longer you leave it, the more you can add!
Once you’re happy, get your mince pie bases out of the fridge and add approx 1⁄2 tbsp mincemeat mixture into each one.
Brush the edge of each pie with a beaten egg to help the lids stick. Then place your lid circles over the top, and crimp the edges with the end of a teaspoon to make them stick and for decoration.
Bake in your pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden on top.
Once the pies are cool, sprinkle with caster sugar, invite all your gin pals over, stick on the Michael Buble Christmas album and get merry with your (boozy) mince pies!
