Puss & Mew Sloe Gin

Hand-picked Tasmanian sloe berries spend six months steeping in a batch of Puss & Mew's Australian Dry GinDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins to make this limited sloe ginSloe ginA liqueur made by steeping sloe berries in gin, then sweetening it. It is usually bottled between 25% and 30% ABV.GlossarySee Sloe gin gins. The Nunawading distillery, in Melbourne's east, bottles it at 24.4% ABV in 500 ml bottles, as a new limited batch. Like any sloe gin, it is a fruit liqueur built on gin, lower in strength and gently sweet, with the berry giving both colour and flavour.

Limited Edition · Spicy · Floral · Fruity

The aroma brings cherry, pomegranate and cranberry, with subtle hints of allspice, clove, rose and sandalwood. These notes come from the long steep and the base gin rather than from extra fruit.

On the palate, the natural tartness of the sloes is balanced by the sweetness and complexity of the dry gin underneath. Pomegranate and cranberry give a bright, slightly sharp edge, while clove and allspice warm the middle. The finish is long, with rose and a soft woody note lingering after the fruit. The six months of steeping give the sloes time to blend in rather than sit on top of the spirit. Its moderate strength makes it easy to sip on its own.

Puss & Mew suggests mixing it with a light tonicLight tonicA low- or no-sugar tonic, often sweetened with substitutes. Drier, it brings out the bitterness and the gin.Glossary and garnishing with an orange slice. It is also good neat and chilled after dinner, or in a Sloe Gin Fizz, where lemon and soda lighten the fruit. A splash of prosecco in place of the soda makes a festive variation.

For the long drink, pour 4 cl over clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary in a copa glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary, add 10 cl of Double Dutch Elderflower Tonic and stir gently once. Place an orange wheel and a sloe berry in the glass, then arrange matching pieces on a small side plate beside it. The elderflower brings out the rose, the orange follows the distillery's suggestion, and the sloe berry points to the fruit at the heart of the bottle.