Sloe gin is a sweet, ruby-red liqueur made by steeping sloes, the small, sour fruit of the blackthorn shrub, in gin with sugar. Despite the name, it is not a gin. Federal rules class it as a cordial or liqueur "with the main characteristic flavor derived from sloe berries," in the words of 27 CFR 5.150, and most bottles sit at 25 to 30 percent alcohol by volume, well under the 40 percent that gin itself requires.
It is also a drink with a season. Sloes are traditionally picked in late autumn, after the first frost, and left to steep until Christmas, which is why sloe gin turns up as a winter sipper and a December gift. Below: what a sloe is, how sloe gin is made, what the law says about it, why it has always been hard to find in America, and how to drink it.
What is a sloe?
A sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, a dense, spiny shrub and a close relative of the plum. The fruit is blue-black and about a centimeter across, under half an inch, with a single stone. Raw, it is so astringent that a single bite dries the mouth. The blackthorn flowers early, with white blossom on bare branches in March and April, and the fruit ripens through the autumn, as the Woodland Trust describes in its guide to blackthorn.
The shrub is native to Europe and western Asia, where it has long been planted as a thorny hedge to mark out fields. In North America it grows wild only here and there, in the east. That one fact explains most of sloe gin's American story.
How sloe gin is made
The method has hardly changed in generations. Ripe sloes are pricked, or frozen overnight so that their skins split the way a hard frost splits them, then packed into a jar with sugar and covered with gin. The jar is shaken every day or two at first, then once a week, and left in a cool, dark place for two to three months. Over that time the gin draws out the fruit's color and flavor, and the sugar tames its sourness. The liqueur is then strained off the fruit and bottled.
Given time, the alcohol also draws a faint almond note out of the stones, according to Wikipedia's entry on sloe gin, and that note is part of what gives a good one its depth. Distillers work the same way at scale. One American producer described the steps to Artisan Spirit Magazine: macerate the fruit in gin for as long as it needs, press it to get the last of the color and flavor out, then taste and bring the liqueur down to bottling strength.
The gin in the jar matters, because it is half the flavor. How gin itself is made, from neutral spirit and botanicals, is in how gin is made, and what is actually in it.
Is sloe gin actually gin? What the law says
No. Under 27 CFR 5.144, gin "must derive its main characteristic flavor from juniper berries and be bottled at not less than 40 percent alcohol by volume (80° proof)." Sloe gin belongs to a different class altogether, cordials and liqueurs: flavored spirits that contain at least 2.5 percent sugar by weight. Within that class, sloe gin is one of twelve named types, and its whole definition is one line: "A cordial or liqueur with the main characteristic flavor derived from sloe berries."
That line is notable for what it leaves out. It does not say the liqueur has to be made with gin, and it sets no minimum strength. The same section is stricter with its neighbor, gin liqueur, which must be made entirely with gin and bottled at 30 percent or more. So on an American shelf, the words "sloe gin" tell you what the bottle tastes of, not what it was made from. One more detail from the same rule: a sloe gin with less than 10 percent sugar may add the word "dry" to its label.
European rules are tighter. The EU spirit drinks regulation defines sloe gin as "a liqueur produced by maceration of sloes in gin with the possible addition of sloe juice," allows only natural flavorings, and sets a floor of 25 percent alcohol. There, the gin is required.
| Gin | Sloe gin | |
|---|---|---|
| US legal class | Gin | Cordial or liqueur |
| Main flavor | Juniper | Sloe berries |
| US minimum strength | 40% (80 proof) | None set |
| EU minimum strength | 37.5% | 25% |
| Usual strength | 40 to 47% | 25 to 30% |
| Sugar | Not required | At least 2.5% by weight |
| Color | Usually clear | Ruby red |
Sloe gin still appears among the styles in types of gin, every style explained, because that is where people look for it, but only by name. Why the law draws the line for gin at 40 percent, and what proof means, is in how strong is gin.
What does sloe gin taste like?
Like a tart plum softened with sugar. The fruit brings sour cherry, plum skin and a dry, puckering edge; the stones add that faint almond; and the gin underneath adds juniper and spice, which is what separates a sloe gin made on real gin from one that is not. Sweetness varies a great deal. Some bottles come close to syrup, while others, some of them labeled dry, keep the sourness of the fruit at the front. The color runs from garnet to deep ruby.
If gin's own flavor is still new to you, start with what does gin taste like.
Why sloe gin is hard to find in America
Because the fruit is. With blackthorn rare on this side of the Atlantic, Americans never had the country habit of a jar of sloes steeping in the cupboard each autumn. What much of the country knew instead was the mass-market sloe gin that arrived in the 1970s, which Artisan Spirit Magazine describes as "more closely resembling Maraschino syrup or Grenadine than actual sloe gin." The current American definition would still allow a sloe gin made without any gin at all.
That is changing, slowly. American craft distillers have taken up the real thing, and the fruit is still the hard part. One told the same magazine that sloes cannot be found locally, so it imports them and keeps them frozen through the year. Another makes its version with the beach plum, a native cousin that grows along the East Coast.
How to make sloe gin at home
If you can find sloes, the recipe is forgiving. The Woodland Trust's sloe gin recipe uses 450 grams of sloes and 225 grams of sugar to a one-liter bottle of gin, which is about a pound of fruit and a generous cup of sugar.
- Wash the sloes and freeze them overnight. Freezing splits the skins, so there is no need to prick each one.
- Put the frozen fruit in a large sterilized jar, pour over the gin and add the sugar.
- Once the fruit has thawed, seal the jar and shake it well.
- Keep it somewhere cool and dark. Shake it every other day for the first week, then once a week for two months.
- Strain off the fruit and bottle the liqueur. It is ready to drink, and it improves with keeping.
Two notes. Be certain of the shrub before you pick anything wild: the Woodland Trust's advice is a good field guide or, better, an expert. And choose the gin with care. A classic, juniper-led dry gin is what keeps the finished liqueur from tasting like fruit syrup. Gatsby Gin is a London Dry gin of ten botanicals, made in small batches in a copper pot still in Fort Myers, Florida, with the juniper and citrus to stand up to the fruit. More on the style is in what is London Dry gin.
How to drink sloe gin
- Neat or over ice, in a small glass, as a winter sipper or after dinner.
- Long, with tonic or soda water and a slice of lemon. It is built like a gin and tonic, and the ratios are in how to make a gin and tonic, Gatsby style.
- In sparkling wine. A splash in a glass of sparkling wine makes what the Woodland Trust calls a sloe royale.
- In a sloe gin fizz, the classic sloe gin cocktail: sloe gin shaken with lemon juice and a little sugar, then lengthened with soda water.
However you take it, sloe gin belongs to the cold months: picked in the frost, steeped through the dark, opened at Christmas.
Frequently asked questions about sloe gin
Is sloe gin actually gin?
No. It is a liqueur made by steeping sloe berries and sugar in gin. US rules class it as a cordial or liqueur, not a gin, and do not require it to be made with gin at all.
What is the difference between gin and sloe gin?
Gin is a spirit flavored mainly with juniper and bottled at 40 percent alcohol or more in the United States. Sloe gin is a sweetened liqueur flavored mainly with sloe berries, usually 25 to 30 percent alcohol, and ruby red rather than clear.
What is sloe gin made of?
Sloes, sugar and gin. In the European Union it must be made by steeping sloes in gin. In the United States the rule only requires that sloe berries provide the main flavor.
How strong is sloe gin?
Most sloe gins are 25 to 30 percent alcohol by volume, or 50 to 60 proof. The EU minimum is 25 percent. The US definition sets no minimum strength for sloe gin.
What is a sloe?
The small, blue-black fruit of the blackthorn shrub, Prunus spinosa, a relative of the plum. It is about a centimeter across and very sour and astringent when raw.
What does sloe gin taste like?
Tart plum and sour cherry softened with sugar, with a faint almond note from the fruit's stones and juniper from the gin underneath.
Why is sloe gin hard to find in the US?
The blackthorn is native to Europe and western Asia and grows wild only here and there in eastern North America, so America never had a home tradition of making it, and American distillers still find the fruit hard to source.
How long does sloe gin take to make?
About two to three months of steeping. Sloes are traditionally picked after the first frost in late autumn, so a batch started then is ready by Christmas.
What is similar to sloe gin?
Damson gin, made the same way with damson plums, is the closest match. American craft liqueurs made with beach plums are another.
