Blackthorn

There are two main Blackthorn recipes: the Irish Blackthorn uses Irish whiskey, dry vermouth, and Pernod or pastis, while the English Blackthorn substitutes sloe gin for Irish whiskey. Both versions typically include Angostura bitters. The Irish variant appears in Difford's Guide as the primary recipe, with the anise element adding an unusual herbal dimension to the whiskey.

The Blackthorn is stirred with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass or coupe. A lemon twist expressed over the drink is the standard garnish, its oils complementing both the whiskey and anise components. No ice is placed in the serving glass, as this is a straight, spirit-forward cocktail.

Sloe gin is a British liqueur made by macerating sloe berries — the small, tart fruit of the blackthorn shrub — in gin with sugar. The blackthorn plant (Prunus spinosa) is the direct namesake of this cocktail variant. Sloe gin has a distinctive plum-like, slightly bitter flavour that is notably lower in ABV than regular gin, producing a Blackthorn that is sweeter and fruitier than the Irish whiskey version.