Sloe Gin Fizz
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 10.9% ABV ∙
The Sloe Gin Fizz is a fizz cocktail of sloe gin, lemon juice, and sugar shaken and topped with dry sparkling wine. Tart lemon and a jammy sloe-berry sweetness lead, with fine bubbles lifting the finish into something crisp and refreshing.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice: Sloe gin 45 mlLemon juice 30 mlPowdered sugar 1 bsp
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Top with Dry sparkling wine
- Garnish with a lemon wheel on the rim
Tips
- Fine-strain the shaken sloe gin, lemon, and sugar to keep the drink bright and free of pulp and ice shards.
- Pre-chill the glass so the sparkling wine keeps its fizz instead of flattening on contact with a warm glass.
- Top with the sparkling wine gently and pour along the side of the glass to preserve its bubbles.
History
The Sloe Gin Fizz emerged in the United States in the early 1900s, once bartenders got hold of English sloe gin and began mixing it as a fruitier, ruby-colored take on the standard Gin Fizz, combining it with citrus, sugar, and soda water. No single bartender or bar is credited with creating it, and sources differ on the earliest printed recipe, with some pointing to a California magazine feature in 1898 and others to fizz recipes appearing in later editions of Jerry Thomas's bartending guide. The drink caught on particularly in New Orleans and other American bars through the early twentieth century, faded from fashion by the mid-1900s as sloe gin itself became harder to find, and later regained popularity alongside the broader revival of classic sloe gin liqueurs.
Its base, the Gin Fizz, first appeared in print in Jerry Thomas's The Bartender's Guide in 1876, one of the foundational American cocktail manuals, establishing the fizz format of spirit, citrus, sugar, and carbonated water shaken and served over ice. The Sloe Gin Fizz simply swaps the base gin for sloe gin, giving the drink its characteristic pink-red color and berry-tinged sweetness.
FAQ
What is a Sloe Gin Fizz made of?
It is sloe gin, fresh lemon juice, and sugar, shaken and fine-strained, then topped with dry sparkling wine and garnished with a lemon wheel. This build serves it in a double old-fashioned glass rather than the tall, ice-free fizz glass some versions use.
What is the difference between a Gin Fizz and a Sloe Gin Fizz?
A Gin Fizz is made with standard gin, while a Sloe Gin Fizz swaps in sloe gin, the sweeter, berry-red liqueur made from sloe berries steeped in gin. The swap gives the Sloe Gin Fizz a fruitier, jammier profile alongside the same lemon, sugar, and sparkling top.
What is the best mixer with sloe gin?
Fresh lemon juice and a dry sparkling wine are the classic pairing, balancing sloe gin's sweetness with acidity and bubbles, as in a Sloe Gin Fizz. Tonic water and ginger ale are also common lighter mixers for a simpler sloe gin highball.
Is sloe gin very alcoholic?
Sloe gin itself typically runs around 25-30% ABV, lower than standard gin because it is a sweetened, fruit-steeped liqueur rather than a full-strength spirit. A finished Sloe Gin Fizz is considerably lighter still, around 10.9% ABV once shaken, diluted, and topped with sparkling wine.
What is sloe gin and prosecco called?
Topping sloe gin with a dry sparkling wine, along with lemon juice and sugar, makes a Sloe Gin Fizz, the classic fizz built on sloe gin rather than standard gin.
What is a Sloe Gin Fizz?
It is a fizz cocktail made by shaking sloe gin with lemon juice and sugar, then topping the strained mix with dry sparkling wine. It is served in a chilled double old-fashioned glass with a lemon wheel garnish, no ice in the glass, at a light 10.9% ABV.
