Sloe Gin Cocktail
A fruity and bitter gin cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 17.5% ABV ∙
The Sloe Gin Cocktail is a stirred drink of sloe gin, a little dry vermouth and orange bitters, served up with an orange twist.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Sloe gin 60 mlDry vermouth 10 mlOrange bitters 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Stir over ice for about 30 seconds and no longer; sloe gin is already low in alcohol, and too much water flattens its fruit.
History
The Sloe Gin Cocktail is a simple stirred variation on the dry Martini template, built from sloe gin, dry vermouth, and orange bitters instead of London dry gin. Sloe gin itself is an English liqueur made by infusing gin with sloe berries, the fruit of the blackthorn bush, a tradition documented in Britain since the early 18th century, long before any specific cocktail bearing its name was recorded.
This particular stirred formula is generally traced to Stan Jones' 1977 Jones' Complete Bar Guide, which paired sloe gin with dry vermouth and a dash of orange bitters in the proportions still used today.
FAQ
Is sloe gin stronger than regular gin?
No, it is weaker. Sloe gin is a liqueur made by steeping sloe berries in gin and sweetening the result, typically around 15–30% alcohol against 37.5% or more for London dry gin. This cocktail comes in at about 17.5% ABV.
