Sloe Gin

Sloe gin is a British red liqueur made with gin and blackthorn fruits (sloes), which are the drupe fruit of the Prunus spinosa tree, which is a relative of the plum. Sloe gin is made by combining an existing gin with lots of sugar and sloe berries. Over time, the flavour of the sloe berries steeps into the gin, and the mixture forms into a deep, fruity and sweet ruby-red liqueur. Due to this process, the alcohol level for sloe gin is also lower than ‘normal’ gin. The European Union regulations established 25 per cent ABV as the minimal alcoholic content for the blackthorn beverage to be a sloe gin.

Historically, despite being a liqueur based upon gin, the EU included the colloquial name sloe gin to the legal definitions; thus, sloe gin is the only alcoholic beverage that legally uses the term gin without appending the liqueur suffix. Sloe gin is made from ripe sloes, which are traditionally picked after the first frost of winter (late October to early November in the northern hemisphere). Each sloe is pricked, traditionally with a thorn taken from the blackthorn bush on which they grow. An alternative folktale says that one should not prick the sloes with a metal fork unless it is made of silver.
A wide-necked jar is filled half way with pricked sloes and some sugar. The jar is then filled with gin, sealed, turned several times to mix and stored in a cool, dark place. After a few months, the gin will now have a deep ruby red colour : Sloe Gin!