If you’ve always thought that Sloe Gin was solely the purview of your elderly maiden aunt, then Simon Ford with his new The Fords Gin Co Sloe Gin, is about to turnabout your gin-loving mind.
Known as a cocktail gin, the classic Fords London Dry Gin recipe has been combined with hand-picked sloe fruit from England and France, to create the newly released liqueur.
Now while it’s easy to slow things down with Ford’s Sloe Gin over ice, the brand has tapped acclaimed bartenders Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Mimi Burnham to showcase The Fords Gin Co Sloe Gin in cocktails that not only reflect tradition but also show how versatile the Sloe Gin can be – see recipes below.
An homage to the sloe gins that have been crafted by families for generations, the brand has worked in collaboration with 11th Generation Master Distiller Charles Maxwell of London’s Thames Distillers. Together, the brand and the distiller have combined a high proof iteration of the nine-botanical Fords Gin with hand-picked sloe fruit from France and England that they have steeped for 12 weeks.
The liquid is then sweetened with sugar to balance the naturally bitter flavor of sloe fruit. The final product is cut to 29% ABV/58 proof, a bit higher than most sloe gins to allow for the Fords Gin botanical profile to be present in the overall taste.
“Our second Journeys in Gin expedition has been a long time coming as we’ve spent the last three years working on a recipe that we hope will inspire people to celebrate sloe gin once again, especially in the U.S.,” said Simon Ford, founder, Fords Gin.
“We are offering a perspective that is uniquely Fords Gin, creating a cocktail-forward sloe gin that is a bit higher in ABV and lighter in sugar, allowing it to play well in classic sloe gin drinks or stand up on its own. We are excited for bartenders and at-home cocktail enthusiasts to finally experience and experiment with the final product.”
With a long, rich and complex finish that jumps between bitterness and sweetness, this new gin expression has an overarching harmony that ends with a hint of clove spice. A mixture of tart dried fruits hit your palate immediately, but once the dried fruit flavours fade into Juniper, the drier grapefruit citrus and lemon notes burst onto the scene.
For more information, go to fordsgin.com
All images by Eric Medsker – courtesy of Ford’s Gin
Sloe Gin Silver Fizz
Bartender – Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 part Fords Gin Co Sloe Gin
- 1 part Fords Gin
- 3⁄4 part fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 part 2:1 simple syrup
- 1⁄2 part egg whites, gently beaten, or aquafaba 2 parts chilled soda water
Instructions
Pour soda water into a chilled 8 oz footed highball glass. Combine gin, sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg whites or aquafaba in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold. Fine strain into highball glass. Serve immediately with no garnish.
The Sloezinger
Bartender – Mimi Burnham
Ingredients
- 1 part Fords Gin Co Sloe Gin
- 3⁄4 part Old Forester Bourbon
- 3⁄4 part Hibiscus Herbal Tea Simple Syrup* 1⁄2 part Saffron flavored Amaro
- 1⁄2 part lemon juice
- 3 dashes Chocolate Bitters
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin and add ice. Hard shake and strain in a double rocks glass with a large clear cube. Garnish with expressed large orange coin and top with fresh blue borage flowers, if available.
*Hibiscus Herbal Tea Simple Syrup Yields: 10 oz finished syrup
- 8 oz water
- 8 oz pure granulated sugar
- 2 Hibiscus & Rose Hip herbal tea bags
Bring water to a boil and pour into a 16 oz measuring glass cup, add two tea bags. Steep for four minutes. Remove tea bags and add 8 oz of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Place cooled syrup in a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. Shelf life: 3 weeks
