...and Gordons is definitely my favourite brand. Recently I also discovered that Gordons do a sloe gin, something I previously didn't even know existed. I gave it a try and quite enjoyed it and today it makes a pleasant change from my usual tipple when I fancy something a little different!
According ... Read review
Advantages: A pleasant alternative to dry gin. Disadvantages: Isn't available in all retailers.
I am a big Gin and Tonic fan. Slim-line with ice and masses of fresh lime. Just divine....and Gordons is definitely my favourite brand. Recently I also discovered that Gordons do a sloe gin, something I previously didn't even know existed. I gave it a try and quite enjoyed it and today it makes a pleasant change from my usual tipple when I fancy something a little different!
According to the BBC website Sloe Gin was originally devised ... ...the olden days. These days it is considered a traditional winter warmer and is particularly associated with Christmas time.
Sloe gin is flavoured with blackthorn berries which are a relative of the plum. This is opposed to dry gin which is flavoured with juniper berries which are white berries. Sloe Gin is apparently not a "real" gin as it is aged on wood-barrels.
In stark contrast to the perfect clearness ... more
I am a big Gin and Tonic fan. Slim-line with ice and masses of fresh lime. Just divine....and Gordons is definitely my favourite brand. Recently I also discovered that Gordons do a sloe gin, something I previously didn't even know existed. I gave it a try and quite enjoyed it and today it makes a pleasant change from my usual tipple when I fancy something a little different!
According to the BBC website Sloe Gin was originally devised to disguise the defects of poor, tainted distillations back in the olden days. These days it is considered a traditional winter warmer and is particularly associated with Christmas time.
Sloe gin is flavoured with blackthorn berries which are a relative of the plum. This is opposed to dry gin which is flavoured with juniper berries which are white berries. Sloe Gin is apparently not a "real" gin as it is aged on wood-barrels.
In stark contrast to the perfect clearness of dry gin Sloe Gin has an attractive deep ruby red/purple colour, although you can still see through it. The intense colour makes this an interesting and attractive looking beverage and the colour is not diminished by the addition of a mixer which is great.
The bottle is just the same as the Gordon's Dry Gin bottle, rectangular but with clear glass instead of green. There is a screw top lid, initially sealed, which is easy to open and close.
The liquid inside doesn't smell of much, but I can detect a whiff of sweet fruit yet with a slight alcoholic tinge.
Upon taste there is a tinge of the flavour of dry gin but with a subtly fruity flavour of berries. It is sweeter than ordinary gin and leaves a substantial but pleasant fruity after taste in the mouth. It is also quite dry to the taste, possibly a little more so than regular gin which I personally think is a little more refreshing than sloe gin in comparrison.
The alcohol content is 27% which is a considerable amount lower than regular Grodon's Gin which is 37.5% alcohol by volume. Consequently the drink will typically be served in 25ml measures.
****Alcohol should be consumed sensibly and not in excess. The purchase and consumption of alcohol is illegal to those under the age of 18****
Gordon's Sloe Gin is priced at £13.49 for 70CL from a leading competitive supermarket, which is the slightly more expansive than Gordon's dry Gin prices at £11.18 for the same size bottle. In bars you can expect to pay around £2.50 for a 25ml measure and a mixture.
Personally I think that Sloe Gin is best served simply with tonic, soda or lemonade and ice only. Skip the fruit in this instance. But if you want something a little more adventurous then I have included some Sloe Gin cocktail recipes below and there are loads more online for interested parties.
SLOE GIN FIZZ
1 oz sloe gin 1 oz gin 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice 1 oz sugar syrup 3 - 4 oz soda water
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO
2 oz vodka 2 oz Southern Comfort 2 oz sloe gin 2 oz Grand Marnier orange juice
SAN FRANCISCO COCKTAIL
3/4 oz sweet vermouth 3/4 oz dry vermouth 3/4 oz sloe gin 1 dash orange bitters 1 dash bitters 1 cherry
Seemingly it is very easy to make sloe gin at home using dry gin, sugar and ripe sloe berries. If you are interested in reading more in this respect then check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/sloegin_7722.shtml
In summary I'd like to say that this is a lovely alternative to gin but it doens't beat the real thing which is why I have only given the product four stars. If you are a gin fan you must definitely give it a try and if you aren't a gin fan then you should still try it. I have a friend who can't stand dry gin but she will happily knock this back so don't disregard it immediately. Give it a try, you might like it!!
Advantages: Taste's sweet, refreshing, very moreish. Disadvantages: very moreish...lol
Gin is Gin right ? WRONG !!
Recently I was introduced by a friend to Gordon's sloe gin, something I have never come across though brings to mind the Flavoured Absolut vodkas which are also really nice. It's the same kind of thing but Gin.
I gave it a try (nope it didn't take much persuasion I like my spirits) and well - it's a really GREAT drink.
The bottle is same as your regular screw top Gordon's Gin bottle but clear not green, the gin itself ... ...spirit, not cloudy.. There is a faint pleasant smell of fruitiness along with the normal 'gin' smell, yes I always smell drinks before drinking…..still gin taste but there's also the definite fruity flavour of berries, it's sweet with a nice aftertaste…a bit moreish All this yummy tastiness is down to the sloe berries.
We prefer it simple - with a quality lemonade straight from the fridge, it looks a vimto kind of colour, still very deep-purple-red ...
The-ex-Raven 12.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Gordon
Advantages: Tasty, easier than making it yourself Disadvantages: Pricey
With the weather turning chilly and the first frosts arriving, it is once again the right time of year to go sloe gathering and make sloe gin. But for lazy people like me who don't want to risk poisoning themselves by picking the wrong little purple hedgerow fruit, there is always the option of buying some ready-made. Plus it has the advantage that you don't have to wait months for your hard work to come to fruition.
As well as their regular green bottle of regular gin, Gordon's also have a sloe version costing £16.99 for a 70cl bottle, it is rather a lot more expensive than your typical gin. Plus at only 26% vol, it is much lower in alcohol content, meaning that per unit of alcohol, it is pretty pricey.
The bottle
The bottle is fairly similar to their regular version, but with different brand colouring - purple instead of green ...
Advantages: Refreshing. Nice Flavour. Smooth Disadvantages: Not many unless you dont like gin
Gin is really one of my favourite drinks,especially on a hot,sultry,and humid,summer's day. It seems too that I am in fairly good company since it is the basic ingredient of martinis which James Bond loves to drink. One of the finest of all gins is Gordon's and this is today the best selling gin in the world.It was developed in 18th century London when Alexander Gordon set up his distillery.
Gin is distilled from malted grain and flavoured with juniper berries.It was first invented three hundred years ago,not in England, but in Holland,by a Dutch chemist.It was designed to be a remedy against a number of ailments and to generally make people feel better.
The English soon took to gin and initially drank gin of the Dutch type. Being ever resourceful they soon developed "unsweetened gin". London Dry Gin was to completely change ...
ashford 21.03.2002 (21.05.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Gordon's Dry Gin
Gordon Ramsay's Just Desserts
Just Desserts? Well, the clue was in the title all along, I suppose. Gordon Ramsay, celebrity chef, made this dubious contribution to the glutted chocolate market in 2003, hot on the heels of his other nefarious activities in the Celebrity Chef spectrum. I for one succumbed to the hype?and suffice to say I got my 'Just Desserts'!
To clear up any confusion from the outset, these aren't actually desserts at all, in fact they're 'just' chocolates. Although chocolates could presumably constitute a 'dessert' if taken in sufficient quantities, I certainly wouldn't recommend eating these in large quantities, unless you're a glutton... for punishment.
The packaging is a neat, purple & silvery affair that frankly resembles a book cover more than a box of chocolates, with an 'Arial' type font & Gordon ...
