Sloe gin is “definitely a product that went down the dark rabbit hole of poorly-made liquors for a long time,” says Alex Bachman of Chicago’s Billy Sunday. But, “when made correctly, it’s a fantastic ingredient that has a long history in classic cocktails, and can add really dark blue fruit character and a brambly greenness.”
Bachman incorporates it into this bergamot bitters-spiked riff on the traditional Blackthorn at Billy Sunday, made with either a California-produced sloe gin or, when feeling ambitious, one the bar infuses in-house.