Yeah! Two blog posts this week already! That feels good. I’m still working on getting back in the groove after a very busy couple of months. I have so many ideas… and so little time, sometimes.

But luckily, I almost always have time for a cocktail. Not just because having a drink is delicious, but the craft of making a mixed drink is a great way to relax, and relatively low-risk as recipes go. And, it’s a lot of fun and a seemingly endless range of fun stuff to try- and today I’m trying something new with sloe gin.

What is sloe gin? It’s a liqueur that’s made of gin (shocker!), infused with sloe berries or huckleberries. It’s a spirit that dates back at least to the late 1800s. Unlike a many liqueurs, it’s not very sweet. It tastes a little more … piney, and outdoorsy. Not that it tastes like a pine tree. It just tastes more naturally flavored, somehow, than a lot of fruity liqueurs I’ve had. I’m a fan. I’m playing today with Spirit Works Distillery’s Sloe Gin, who sent me a bottle to sample.

Here’s what you need:
2 oz. sloe gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. heavy cream
1 egg white
5 drops orange flower water
Finish with club soda

In a shaker full (and I mean full!) of ice, pour the gin, juices, syrup, cream, egg white and orange flower water. Shake for at least 60 seconds straight, until you the shaker is nearly too cold to handle.

Double strain into a Collins glass and top with club soda.