Sloe Gin

Sloe gin is a red coloured, British liqueur made with gin and blackthorn fruits (sloes), which are the drupe fruit of the Prunus spinosa tree, a relative of the plum. As an alcoholic drink, sloe gin contains between 15 per cent and 30 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV); however, 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 allows the colloquial name sloe gin for the liqueur; thus, sloe gin is the only liqueur that can legally be marked gin without appending liqueur, though it is allowed.