Sloe Gin Guide

What is Sloe Gin?  

If you were lucky enough to have a grandma or older auntie who liked to go out on the town, they might have introduced you to Sloe Gin. The sweet-tart, reddish British liqueur starred in a cocktail called the Sloe Gin Fizz, which inspired the same level of fervor in the first half of the 1900s that the Spritz or Negroni Sbagliato does today.  

3 facts to know about Sloe Gin 

• Sloe Gin gets its flavor and name (pronounced “slow”) from sloe berries found on blackthorn trees and bushes` (prunus spinosa), a cousin of the plum.   

• Sloe Gin is a sweet, lower-proof liqueur made of Gin infused with sloe berries and sugar. 

• Despite being called a Gin, Sloe Gin isn’t Gin at all. Sloe Gin has just 15 to 30 percent alcohol, less than the minimum 37.5 percent required for a proper dry Gin.  

What is Sloe Gin made from?  

Sturdy blackthorn bushes were commonly used to mark property lines in the 1600s, and people started making liqueur with the bumper crop of tart sloe berries that ripened every fall. Though this tangy berry-infused gin liqueur was eclipsed by other mixers in the 60s and 70s, the taste for it never disappeared. And now that Sloe Gin has been embraced by British gin distillers with a sense of history, the artisanal liqueur is finding a new audience.  

How to make Sloe Gin 

Commercial producers make Sloe Gin in large batches, but the process follows the same one Britons have used for centuries to make homemade sloe liqueur. Sipsmith Gin shares how you can make your own Sloe Gin today.  

Start with ripe sloe berries and freeze them for a couple of days. Next, fill a wide-mouth jar halfway with berries. Top with Gin, close the jar, and let it sit in a dark, cool place to macerate for two to three months. Every month, turn the jar to make sure the berries are soaking evenly. After a couple of months, taste a little of the liquor and see how you like it. If it has enough tangy berry flavor, strain the berries out and add simple syrup, honey, or a mixture of the two to taste.  

What does Sloe Gin taste like? 

Sloe Gin has a complex flavor profile with notes of red and black fruit ranging from cranberry and cherry to plum, along with almond notes and a definite hint of drying tannin on the finish. And since it’s based on Gin, Sloe Gin can have the floral, herbal, and citrus notes of orris root, juniper, and lemon that the spirit is known for.   

If you pick up a bottle, you’ll find Sloe Gin adds a tannic, sweet-tart flavor and gorgeous color to bubbly cocktails, martinis, and even creative twists on the margarita. 

How to drink Sloe Gin 

Once you try it, we wouldn’t be surprised if Sloe Gin becomes your favorite mixer on your home bar. With its sweet-tart flavors and notes of berries and herbs, it’s a great way to add complexity and balance to drinks. You can also enjoy this liqueur straight, on the rocks, or with a splash of sparkling water.  

Sloe Gin Cocktails 

Swap Sloe Gin for black currant liqueur in a Kir Royale or the cranberry juice in a Cosmopolitan. Make a low-proof Gin and Tonic with Sloe Gin. Slide some Sloe Gin into any recipe that uses sour mix, such as a Margarita or a Sidecar. And in complex cocktails, Sloe Gin delivers layers of flavors when subbed for the sweet vermouth in a Boulevardier, Manhattan, Blood & Sand, or Negroni. We consulted The Savoy Cocktail Book to uncover these two forgotten Sloe Gin recipes. 

Sloe Gin Cocktail 

• ¼ ounce French (white) Vermouth 
• ¼ ounce Italian (red) Vermouth 
• ½ ounce Sloe Gin 

Stir well with ice in a mixing glass, and strain into a cocktail glass.  

Sloeberry Cocktail 

• 1 dash Angostura bitters 
• 1 dash orange bitters 
• 1 glass (2 ounces) Sloe Gin 

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.  

This spirit-forward Sloe Gin cocktail was created by bartender John E. Haas, who worked behind the bar in Bradford, Pennsylvania, around the turn of the 20th century. Cocktail historian and author David Wondrich discovered that Haas invented this drink, which became popular at New York’s Hoffman House Hotel. His recipe is shared on Difford’s Guide.  

The Modern Cocktail 

• 1-½ ounces Dewar’s 12-year-old Scotch Whisky 
• 1-½ ounces Hayman’s Sloe Gin 
• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice  
• ⅙ ounce heavy simple syrup (2 to 1 sugar ratio) 
• 1 dash Absinthe 
• 1 dash Angostura orange bitters 
• Luxardo Maraschino cherry, for garnish 

Shake ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cherry.  

And you can always shake up a Sloe Gin Fizz with this recipe Wondrich shared in Esquire and drink a toast to your dear auntie or grandma.  

Sloe Gin Fizz  

• 2 ounces Sloe Gin 
• ½ ounce lemon juice 
• 1 tsp. superfine sugar 
• Club soda 

Add all ingredients except the club soda to a chilled cocktail shaker along with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into a small, chilled Collins glass and fizz to an inch from the top — use a soda siphon if you’ve got one, or splash the club soda in rather carelessly, so that it foams.                                                                                                     

If you’re inspired to learn more about styles of Gin and international flavored spirits, visit our guides on Gin, cordials & liqueurs, and non-alcoholic drinks.