Sloe gin

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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. The traditional method of preparation of sloe gin is to soak the blackthorns (sloes) in gin with some sugar, and the mixture sweetens when the blackthorn fruit mature in the alcohol. Commercial sloe gin is made by flavouring an inexpensive neutral grain spirit. US distilleries use close fruits related to the blackthorn, such as the beach plum and the Aronia berry, to produce American versions of the British sloe gin.