The introduction of Plymouth sloe gin has raised antennae over the entire cocktailian community, and lucky indeed are the folks who've managed to get their hands on the stuff. Made with natural sloe flavor from real sloe berries (unlike the foul artificiality of more downmarket sloe gins), the Plymouth is a rich deep purple and has a deep flavor to match -- it's sweet, but the astringency from the sloes keeps it in check.
I finally managed to taste the new Plymouth offering a few weeks ago at LeNell's, where Plymouth brand manager Simon Ford poured me "a proper Sloe Gin Fizz", which was tasty indeed. The berry flavor is pronounced, and the liqueur's sweetness well-balanced by the sloes' natural tartness. Alas, LeNell had sold out of the sloe gin, but my name is firmly on their waiting list. (Hopefully she won't suffer another computer failure, like the one last year that kept a bottle of the Rothman & Winter crème de violette out of my hands until the stock levels improved.)
However, a very good friend brought me a present a while back from London -- one of two bottles of homemade sloe gin that he made ten years ago and had never uncorked. This is an amazing ingredient, and I'm using it very sparingly so I don't waste it.
So far I've made a Sloe Gin Fizz or two, but I really like dribbling just a drop or two on top of the foam atop a Ramos Gin Fizz. The Wibble (in that NYT article) looks good too, but I'm not sure I want to mix the sloe gin with crème de cassis and risk covering up the sloe gin's flavor. Better the approach taken at Death & Co., where the "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" pairs your choice of Plymouth gin, Laird's applejack, Scarlet Ibis rum, or Herradura Silver tequila with the Plymouth sloe gin and Luxardo Maraschino, fresh lemon juice, and blackberries, and serves the whole shebang over crushed ice:
(This one was ordered by Chico, who took the Plymouth gin option and generously let me have a taste.) A lovely, summery cocktail with nice berry flavor, balancing acid, and a loooong finish.
Excellent article and great photos.
here's a song celebrating Sloe Gin by Loretta Lynn and Jack White.
http://www.last.fm/music/Loretta+Lynn/_/Portland+Oregon
Posted by: Kevin | January 07, 2009 at 09:25 PM