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Cocktail History
The Let It Sloe is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Emma Stokes and was first published in her book Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm Up Winter. Essentially a spruced up tonic drink, the recipe mixes port wine and sloe gin, which is technically a liqueur, with apricot brandy and some aromatic bitters to create a dry yet unique beverage that’s named as a play on the classic holiday tune, “Let It Snow.”
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Sloe Gin: This is a liqueur made with sloes, sugar, and alcohol. I used Plymouth Sloe Gin.
Ruby Port: This is a fortified wine made in Portugal with a blend of red grapes. I used Sandeman Fine Ruby Porto.
Apricot Brandy: This is a liqueur made with apricots, spices, sugar, and brandy. I used Phillips Apricot Brandy.
Red Wine Syrup: This is a sweetener made with Cabernet Sauvignon and sugar. I made mine using this stovetop recipe.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Aromatic Bitters.
Tonic Water: This is a carbonated water that has been infused with quinine. I used QMixers Tonic Water.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
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Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Dark red hue with an ombré effect
• Aroma: Fruity sloe liqueur
• Taste: A dry flavor that blends deep red port wine, sweet sloe, fruit, and herbs
• Finish: Tonic’s bitter quinine notes
Kendall’s Rating: ⭐
Kendall’s Take: “It’s been a really long time since I’ve had a drink made with sloe gin, so I didn’t really know what to expect of this recipe. I will admit I did not think it would be as off-putting as I found it to be, especially given its categorization as a Christmas cocktail. Maybe I’m just not used to tonic water’s quinine bitterness, but I did not like the juxtaposition of the mixer alongside the other candy-sweet ingredients. Adding red wine syrup definitely helped, but the Let It Sloe just wasn’t for me. If anyone’s going to tempt me to it again, I think it would need a lot of work before I’d find it truly palatable.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm Up Winter by Emma Stokes.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-12.
Let It Sloe
The Let It Sloe is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Emma Stokes and was first published in her book Have Yourself a Merry Little Cocktail: 80 Cheerful Tipples to Warm Up Winter. Essentially a spruced up tonic drink, the recipe mixes port wine and sloe gin, which is technically a liqueur, with apricot brandy and some aromatic bitters to create a dry yet unique beverage that’s named as a play on the classic holiday tune, “Let It Snow.”
Ingredients
Method
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Add sloe gin, wine, apricot brandy, red wine syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a lowball glass.
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Stir for 10-15 seconds.
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Top with tonic water.
