The question I get asked most often about sloe gin is: "Sloe gin? What's that?" Sloe gin is many things - a home-grown British favorite, a triumph of ingenuity, and a forgotten cocktail classic that deserves a second look.
To understand sloe gin, we must first answer the question: "what, exactly, is a sloe"? Sloes are little berries, about the size of a dime, that grow wild in hedgerows all over England. One reason you might never have heard of sloes is that they're not widely cultivated, because they taste terrible. Ripe sloes may be lovely to look at, but their taste is highly astringent and generally unpleasant.
But our compatriots across the sea are an inventive sort, and they came up with a way to make the sloes useful: soak them in booze. The Brits have been making sloe gin for hundreds of years by infusing the berries in high-proof gin, along with a little bit of sugar. The result is a liqueur that's tart, but with a delicious richness and depth of flavor.
Sloe gin was traditionally drunk in the depths of winter, as a warming drink, until the Americans got a hold of it and summer-ified it with citrus and soda water. Thus was born the Sloe Gin Fizz, arguably the most famous sloe gin cocktail out there. Sloe gin had a bit of a slump in the 60s and 70s, a pretty dark time for cocktails in general. Sloe gin made according to the original formulation all but disappeared, and was replaced by a new kind of sloe gin made with neutral spirits flavored to mimic the taste of the original. For a long time, people forgot what real sloe gin tasted like.
Until recently, when the Plymouth distillery decided to start making sloe gin again, the old-fashioned way: with sloe berries and gin. Now, even if your house is not conveniently situated to a hedgerow, you can still experience the uniquely rich taste of real sloe gin. The Plymouth can be a little hard to hunt down, but try one of the drinks below and I think you'll agree the search is more than worth it.
Pictured Above, Left to Right:
- A bottle of Plymouth Sloe Gin.
- Ripe sloe berries.
- The Sloe Gin Fizz.
- The Millionaire, a classic cocktail made with Sloe Gin.
- The Hermione Granger, made with sloe gin, gin, pomegranate liqueur, and champange.
Bonus: Can't find the Plymouth sloe gin? You can still make your own using this recipe, if you're lucky enough to be able to find sloe berries this side of the pond.
(Images: 1. Nancy Mitchell, 2. Wikipedia, 3-5 as linked above.)
Nancy Mitchellknows a lot about drinking. You can find more recipes and musings on her blog, The Backyard Bartender.
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Ah, thank you! I've been wondering about this for ages.
A Sloe Gin Fizz is the first cocktail I ever tried [a sip of my mothers when I was a teenager], and so it has a special place in my heart.
I had my first Sloe Gin Fizz at the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Larado Mexico on our first anniversary. Delicious memory.
I had sloe gin for the first time this past November, when my friend, Kate, came for her first American Thanksgiving. She lives in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, and she snuck it over on the plane. It had a really strong cherry-ish flavor. I mixed mine with lemon soda. I'm hoping to receive a bottle from her in the mail this year, as she makes a new batch every summer.
Sloe gin is seeing a bit of a renaissance over here in the UK. People are experimenting with traditional recipes and adding a small host of spices and other ingredients. I made a gallon last year and split it into smaller batches which I further infused with different things. Star anise works very well, as does black pepper. I found cardamom to be very nice but it is possibly an acquired taste.
I wrote three blog posts around this whole enterprise; they are all linked from this one: http://www.ginjourney.co.uk/uncategorized/six-types-of-sloe-gin/
This coming year, I am going to experiment with citrus peels and a wider array of spices - probably less sugar too. The sloes are still green on the trees and will take a couple more months before they are ready.
I make sloe gin every year - I like to add a dash of almond extract to each bottle. Wonderful remedy for sore throats and colds - lots of vitamin C. Picked 3kg of sloes and bullaces yesterday (they're ripe in Devon) but my arms are seriously scratched! Gin and jelly to be made soon.
Try making a sloe sangria by mixing red wine, orange juice, a slug of slow gin and soda with plenty of ice. Delicious!
I make sloe gin - or in years when the sloes aren't plentiful, damson gin - every year. I love the idea of infusing it with star anise, and may try that with this year's batch.
Portland Oregeon and sloe gin fizz, if that ain't love then tell me what is!
A nice post. For everyone contemplating sloe gin, I suggest with Nancy the Plymouth stuff. Be wary of the cheaper, sickly sweet stuff. I like what Nancy says: buy Plymouth or make your own. Funny.
To everyone here present, especially those who have enfused this wonderful brew with special moments in their lives, Iraise a glass to you. Merry Christmas to all.
AAAHHHHHHH Sloe Gin , brings back fond memories. Sloe Gin was the favorite go to drink in the early 60's to mid 60's for the guys to get for thier grilfriend dates. It was the great and tastey drink (not to strong ) easy to drink. The best mode relaxer ever. Might be responsible for a spike in the birth rate in that time period, at least in the Annapolis Md. area.
Salute
John