Who knew the Queen had her own drinks line?

Buckingham Palace has released its own gin, and the beverage has the royal stamp of approval from Queen Elizabeth II herself. The royal sloe gin is the latest addition to The Royal Collection Trust's drinks line, and it's available for purchase in the UK. Believe it or not, this isn't the British monarch's first foray into gin. The Palace successfully launched their own dry gin last year. It completely sold out after just eight hours. Fittingly, sloe gin is a British liqueur made with gin, and sloes, a fruit that is related to the plum. It typically has an alcohol content between 15% and 30% by volume. The royal variety has an alcohol level of 26%. The Buckingham Palace Sloe Gin is currently retailing at £30 (€34.74) for a 50cl bottle. The product description emphasises the gin's fruity taste and colour, and it low-key sounds delicious: "The red fruits and notes of cloves and kirsch spices deliver a clean and medium aroma intensity on the nose. "The plums and cranberries create a light ruby colour and, combined with marzipan, it serves a medium sweet flavour with added bitterness from the citrus fruits and followed by the juniper and ginger spices." Additionally, The Royal Collection Trust provides a recipe for the aptly named Sloe Royale, a cocktail which features sparkling wine. "For the perfect cocktail, try a Sloe Royale," the description advises. "Pour a 25ml measure of Buckingham Palace Sloe gin into a fluted glass. Top up with champagne or sparkling wine and garnish with fresh berries or orange peel." The Buckingham Palace Sloe Gin is currently only available in the UK. With that being said, Ireland is home to many excellent gin brands of our own, including Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin, Dingle Gin and Sling Shot Irish Gin.