By Ron Givens 

Sloe gin suffers from a smarmy reputation in the United States—harsh products used in saccharine drinks with lurid names. But now a world-class sloe gin has arrived from England, produced by one of the great gin distillers, Plymouth. Sloe berries—a kind of wild plum—are placed in straight gin, where they infuse the spirit with a wondrous combination of flavors (plum, blackberry, cherry, marzipan, cloves) and lend a rich burgundy color. Plymouth may revive the sloe-gin fizz as an amazing summer refresher (with or without the creamy froth that comes from using egg whites). For something different, try this delicately fruity cocktail:

THE WIBBLE

1 ounce Plymouth Sloe Gin

1 ounce Plymouth Gin

1 ounce grapefruit juice (fresh-squeezed, please)

1 1/2  teaspoons lemon juice (ditto)

3/4 teaspoon simple syrup (equal parts of sugar and water)

3/4 teaspoon crème de mure (crème de cassis may be used instead of this hard-to-find blackberry liqueur)

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.