Toast the choice COCKTAIL of the Red Light Ladies of Sin City - Sloe Gin is here again!

Oct 3

One of the favorite tipples enjoyed by patrons of brothels (and those who worked in them) was the Sloe Gin Fizz. A Sloe Gin Fizz is a very simple ‘fancy drink’, made with gin and soda (probably originally sparkling seltzer water) stirred with ice and sugar to taste.

And what does "sloe' mean? Is it a brand? Is it an ingredient? Is it even a gin? Or is it more?

A sloe is a plump, plum-like, bluish-black stone fruit. It grows on spiny blackthorn trees which were used as hedgerows in England beginning in the 17th century. This fruit is delicate and bitter, but when sloe berries were steeped in sugar and high-proof gin, the result was a tart but perfectly balanced liqueur.

"Tart but perfectly balanced" - hmmm, that could be said of a Madam in a Parlor House; a woman who has been a prostitute, but now manages her own successful brothel, controlling her own business and her own money.

Gin has a long and close association with London; a British poem dating from 1717 singles out home-made gin beverages for criticism as a social ill. Gin was popular, prevalent, and cheap - making it all too accessible, which led to a "Gin Craze" in London. England in general enjoyed gin!

The 18th century British satirist Thomas Hogarth drew a depiction of gin-induced depravity in the famous print "Gin Lane."

In its earliest form, gin was not high quality, and was responsible for a number of "gin-related public health issues"......which could be a euphemism for falling down dead drunk (or dead!) in the gutter. Or being prolifically sexual - leading to venereal diseases such as syphilis.

This is definitely relevant to behavior in the brothels of Las Vegas! A 19th century account describes sloe gin as a sort of "poor man's port" (perhaps in view of its similar ruby-red color). As a result, sloe gin was viewed with some suspicion.

Gin and sin went hand in hand. Indeed!

But in the late 19th century, established distilleries began to produce their own, higher-quality sloe gin. Thus began sloe gin's revival, and bartenders began to take notice.

The British "Gin Craze" came to America, taking a little longer to get all the way from the East Coast to Las Vegas, but gin eventually arrived out west. There it took up residence in bars such as the ones found in elegant establishments, including Las Vegas Parlor Houses in the historic Red Light District.

The first printed reference of this category of cocktails was in the 1887 edition of "Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide," featuring six fizz recipes. (The Ramos Gin Fizz—one of New Orleans' iconic cocktails—was invented around the same time in 1888).

Sloe Gin came into American cocktail culture at the beginning of the 20th century. The pre-Prohibition "Charlie Chaplin" cocktail was invented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in 1920.

Although sloe gin originally had been a wintertime drink, the U.S. turned it into a summertime smash with the creation of the Classic Sloe Gin Fizz -the most famous of all sloe gin cocktails - which enjoyed popularity through the 1960s. Sloe Gin then fell out of favor amongst international bartenders after the 1960s.

But in recent years, this spirit has enjoyed an impressive revival, and bars all over London—and beyond—are stocking whole ranges of sloe gin, and creating fresh new cocktails with sloe gin.

Because sloe berries are virtually impossible to find in the U.S., spirit aficionados rarely attempt their own infusions, and instead clamor to get their hands on any brand that produces sloe gin the old-fashioned way. Those ruby-red, Pre-Prohibition cocktails are in vogue once more.

Cheers to Sloe Gin Fizzes, which in the early 1900's were very much at home in the best Parlor Houses in Las Vegas!

In a nod to Gin's origins in England, here is a recipe from the book "A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey" (which was set in the early 20th century)

Sloe Gin Fizz

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Sloe Gin
1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
Club Soda

Garnish: Lemon Wedge and Cherry

Preparation: Add the sloe gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Shake until the drink is well-chilled, Fill a Collins glass with ice and strain contents into the glass. Top with club soda and garnish with a lemon wedge and cherry.

Yes, Sloe Gin Fizzes are making a comeback which is much appreciated by cocktail connoisseurs. As well as any drinkers who enjoy ordering sloe gin drinks with names like "The Alabama Slammer" and, ahem...

"The Sloe Comfortable Screw"

And with that, our thoughts turn back to the brothels, again!

adjective: sloe-eyed