Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth: Noilly Prat is a brand of vermouth from France, owned by the Italian company Martini & Rossi. "White" Noilly Prat is the archetype of dry, straw-coloured French vermouth. Noilly Prat now makes Red and Ambre vermouths as well, introduced in the 1960s and 1980s, but they are less widely known. Noilly Prat Dry is 18% alcohol by volume. The Noilly Prat company is based in Marseillan, in the Hérault département of southern France, and is a subsidiary of Bacardi-Martini. Joseph Noilly, a herbalist, developed the first formula in 1813, 50 years before the now archetypal vermouth, martini.
Sloe gin: Sloe gin is a British red liqueur made with gin and sloes. Sloes are the fruit (drupe) of Prunus spinosa, a relative of the plum. Sloe gin has an alcohol content between 15 and 30 percent by volume. However, the European Union has established a minimum of 25% ABV for sloe gin to be named as such. Sloe gin is technically a gin-based liqueur, but due to historical prevalence at the time of writing the EU spirit drink regulations, the colloquial name 'sloe gin' was included in the legal definitions and as such is the only gin-based liqueur that can legally be called gin without the liqueur suffix. The traditional way of making sloe gin is to soak the sloes in gin. Most recipes call for the addition of sugar, but this is not required. The drink develops a sufficient sweetness when the fruit is left in the alcohol and is allowed to mature. The addition of sugar is actually likely to inhibit the passage of flavor compounds from the fruit into the spirit, due to a reduction in osmotic pressure; a common criticism of sloe gin is that it is much too sweet.