Sloe gin starts as a traditional gin before going in its own direction. Sloe berries are harvested from the blackthorn plant and then added to gin, along with sugar.

This transfers the berries' red color to the gin, giving it a red to light pink hue. Adding berries and sugar also lowers the gin's alcohol content significantly.

Sloe gin can have as little as a 15% ABV, compared to gin's 45%. This, combined with the fact that berries are added post-distillation, technically makes sloe gin a berry liqueur.

Nicolas O'Connor, the director of mixology and culinary arts at Apotheke Mixology, told Food & Wine, "A quality sloe gin has the classic characteristics you'd associate with gin."

He added that "it displays a pleasant herbal blend with strong juniper undertones that blend with the ripe sweetness and acidity of the sloe berries."

Since it shares the same base flavors as gin, it can easily be substituted into classic gin cocktails, adding an extra layer of brightness to their traditional notes.