Liqueurs

Sloe Gin

Despite its name, sloe gin is a fruit liqueur: sloes, the small sour fruit of the blackthorn tree, macerated in gin and sweetened, then bottled at 25% ABV or more, usually 25 to 30%. The spirit drink rules define it in its own right and allow only natural flavourings in it. It brings plum, tartness and a deep red colour to the Sloe Gin Fizz and to long drinks with tonic.

Quick Facts

ABV26% ABVBottlings run about 25 to 30%.

Legal categoryLiqueurA liqueur, not a gin; the law sets a 25% minimum

OriginUnited Kingdom

Flavour Strengthlight medium

SeasonYear-round (especially popular in autumn and winter)

Our keeping timeYears unopened. Once opened, a year or more kept sealed and out of the light; the fruit and aromatics fade first.

Storage

Store upright in a cool, dark place, sealed. No fridge needed.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes vary by brand: check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Sloe Gin

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Sloe berryPlumAlmondGentle spice

Tasting Notes

Deep ruby colour with aromas of ripe dark berries and subtle almond. The palate is rich and softly sweet with balancing tartness, finishing smooth with gentle spice and light bitterness.

The law calls it a liqueur, with rules of its own

GB spirit drink law gives sloe gin a definition apart from gin: a liqueur made by maceration of sloes in gin, with sloe juice allowed, bottled at 25% ABV or more, and flavoured only with natural flavourings. Sloes grow on blackthorn and are too sour and drying to eat raw; maceration draws out its colour, acidity and a stone-fruit note, and the sugar makes it drinkable.

It sits between gin and the fruit liqueurs

Compared with gin, sloe gin has less alcohol and far more sugar, and it is close in strength to the Spanish sloe drink pacharán, which has a separate definition. The table sets out the differences.

Sloe gin against gin, pacharán and blackberry liqueur

Sloe gin

Sold as: Liqueur
Minimum strength: 25%
Sugar: At least 100 g/L
Made from: Sloes steeped in gin

Gin

Sold as: Gin
Minimum strength: 37.5%
Sugar: Dry: 0.1 g/L at most
Made from: Neutral spirit and juniper

Pacharán

Sold as: Sloe-aromatised spirit drink
Minimum strength: 25%
Sugar: 80 to 250 g/L
Made from: Sloes and anise in alcohol; Spain only

Blackberry liqueur

Sold as: Liqueur
Minimum strength: 15%
Sugar: At least 100 g/L
Made from: Blackberries in spirit

Drink	Sold as	Minimum strength	Sugar	Made from
Sloe gin	Liqueur	25%	At least 100 g/L	Sloes steeped in gin
Gin	Gin	37.5%	Dry: 0.1 g/L at most	Neutral spirit and juniper
Pacharán	Sloe-aromatised spirit drink	25%	80 to 250 g/L	Sloes and anise in alcohol; Spain only
Blackberry liqueur	Liqueur	15%	At least 100 g/L	Blackberries in spirit

A sour, a stirred drink and a highball

The Sloe Gin Fizz shakes 45ml with lemon and adds 15ml of London Dry for backbone, then lengthens it with soda. The Blackthorn stirs 50ml with vermouth, and the Charlie Chaplin pairs it with apricot brandy and lime. In the Sloe Gin and Lemon Tonic it supplies all the flavour of a long drink with tonic. Its colour matters too: the deep red carries through soda and tonic, so these drinks look the part without any other ingredient.

Using it

Using Sloe Gin

Usage

It appears in five of our recipes. The Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall takes only 15ml; the Blackthorn and the Sloe Gin and Lemon Tonic take 50ml. Bottles differ in sugar, and homemade batches differ most, so taste the bottle before deciding on the lemon.

Pro Tip

If a sloe gin drink tastes like cordial, the fix is gin, not lemon. A small measure of dry gin under the sloe gives the drink a spine and lets the fruit taste of fruit, not of sugar.

Top Tips

Check the label says sloe gin and at least 25%. Sloe-flavoured drinks under that strength fall outside the definition and are often much sweeter.
Balance by taste, not by recipe alone. A sharp homemade bottle may need a little syrup in a fizz; a sweet commercial one may need more lemon.
Add a measure of London Dry to a sloe gin sour if it tastes soft. Our Sloe Gin Fizz does exactly that with 15ml.
An opened bottle keeps more than a year with the cap on and the light off; the fruit aroma fades soonest.

Possible Substitutions

Blackberry Liqueur: Sweeter and less bitter

Production Method

Produced by macerating sloe berries in gin, allowing the fruit’s flavour, colour, and tannins to infuse before sweetening and resting to integrate.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Is sloe gin actually gin?

No. GB spirit drink law defines sloe gin as a liqueur: sloes macerated in gin, to which sloe juice may be added. It is sweetened, and the law lets it go as low as 25% ABV, where gin stops at 37.5%. The gin is an ingredient; the finished bottle is a fruit liqueur with its own protected definition.

How strong is sloe gin?

The legal floor is 25% ABV, and most bottles sit at 25 to 30%. We balance our recipes on 26%, roughly two thirds as strong as gin: a 50ml pour holds about 1.3 UK units, where 40% gin would hold 2.0.

How much sugar is in sloe gin?

The legal minimum for any liqueur, sloe gin included, is 100g a litre; the rest is up to the maker. Commercial bottles vary, and homemade batches vary more, because the cook sets the sugar to the sloes of the year; hence the instruction in our recipes to taste before mixing.

What is the difference between sloe gin and pacharán?

Pacharán is the Spanish sloe drink, and it has its own definition: sloes steeped in neutral alcohol with anise, at least 125g of fruit a litre, 80 to 250g of sugar, and the name only for bottles made in Spain. Sloe gin uses gin and no anise.

What drinks use sloe gin?

Five of our recipes: the Sloe Gin Fizz and the Charlie Chaplin, both shaken sours; the Blackthorn, stirred with vermouth; the Sloe Gin and Lemon Tonic, a long highball; and the Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall, where 15ml gives the Slow in its name.

Can you make your own sloe gin?

Yes, and many people do each autumn. Most methods prick or freeze the sloes, steep them with sugar in gin for weeks or months, then strain and bottle. Homemade bottles differ widely in sugar and alcohol; taste one before using it in a drink balanced for a commercial bottle.

Does sloe gin go off once opened?

Not quickly. With its sugar and at least 25% alcohol nothing grows in it, and an opened bottle lasts beyond a year if capped and kept dark. The fruit aroma fades first, and the colour may brown with time. No fridge is needed, though chilled it is pleasant neat.

Make something

Made with Sloe Gin

Featured In These Cocktails

Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall Charlie Chaplin Sloe Gin & Lemon Tonic Sloe Gin Fizz Blackthorn

Often Used With

Updated 10 October 2026

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