Empress 1908 Gin Cocktail - Pink Gin Sour

To me, this drink screams summertime garden party! I was actually inspired by my garden roses to make this, which is why I garnished it with a rose petal. It's a refreshing drink for that time of year when the roses first start to bloom.

This would pair perfectly with my Gin and Violet cocktail, which is a beautiful lavender color. If you have fresh blackberries on hand, this Blackberry Empress Gin Sour also uses Empress 1908 Gin, and it is a match made in heaven with juicy fresh blackberries!

The French Gimlet and Empress Gin & Tonic are some more tasty and beautiful gin drinks that use Empress gin!

If you're looking for a pretty-in-pink cocktail without gin, try out the tasty Pink Whitney Lemonade Martini, or the simple and delicious Dirty Shirley.

Ingredients

This is a fairly simple drink, and the color is mostly based on how much Empress 1908 Gin you use in comparison to the clear gin. The more you use, the more purple the color will be. You can find my exact proportions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a list of what you'll need:

• Empress 1908 Gin - this is a beautiful purple gin that has a classical juniper gin flavor. Its color comes from the butterfly pea flower.
• Other clear gin - A more floral gin like Hendrick's or Uncle Val's Botanical Gin goes really well here.
• Rubarb Ginger Liqueur - This liqueur gives a little sweetness and subtle flavor to the cocktail. It has a light pink color too.
• Fresh lemon juice
• Simple Syrup
• Garnish - I used a rose petal, although you will want to make sure any petal is food safe and unsprayed before using it. Most retail roses are sprayed with pesticides and other toxins.

Hint: I didn't use any bitters in this cocktail, but if you are looking for a little more complexity, lemon bitters would work wonderfully.

Equipment

This is a fairly simple cocktail, so you'll really just need a few things to make it. Of course, grab a cocktail shaker, strainer and jigger!

A citrus juicer and a knife/cutting board will come in handy if you're using fresh citrus (which I always recommend!)

For the cocktail serving glass, make sure your glass holds at least 5 ounces, or around 10-12 if you want to use a large piece of ice.

My favorite cocktail tools are from A Bar Above (affiliate link - use my code LKDrinks for 10% off). They are super durable and dishwasher safe too!

Substitutions

If you don't have one of the ingredients for this cocktail on hand, here are some ideas to substitute:

• Empress 1908 Gin - This gin is key for the color, but if you don't have access to it, you can make your own infusion using dried butterfly pea flowers and a different type of gin. You'll want to let it steep until you achieve the color you want.
• Gin - if you don't have any gin, you can use vodka as a replacement, although you might want to use a different liqueur which has a stronger flavor if you do.
• Rhubarb Ginger Liqueur - If you don't have this specific liqueur available, look for a different liqueur which has a pink color, like a grapefruit (pamplemousse) liqueur. Or, just omit it and add a little more of the simple syrup.

Instructions

If you are using a large chunk of ice, start off by adding your ice to the cocktail glass. This will let the ice warm up a little bit so it won't crack when you add the drink.

Start off by adding your ingredients to the cocktail shaker. It doesn't matter too much what order you add the ingredients, but if you want to see a pretty cool effect, add the lemon juice first and then the Empress 1908 Gin. It's so fun to watch the color change from purple to pink!

Then, add the second gin, the simple syrup and the liqueur.

Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously, about 15-20 good shakes. This will chill and dilute the drink.

Strain the drink into your prepared cocktail glass, add a garnish and enjoy!

Hint: If you use a rose petal as garnish, like I did, make sure it is not sprayed by pesticides! An amazing resource for purchasing edible flowers, although you do have to buy a bunch at a time, is Gourmet Sweet Botanicals (not an affiliate, they just have nice flowers!)

Top tip

If you want the pink color to really shine, make sure you are using clear ice! For an easy clear ice option, head over to the grocery store and buy a bag of ice.

Or, you can make your own large pieces of clear ice. It takes a little time, but is worth the trouble, in my opinion! My favorite clear ice maker is from Clearly Frozen. You can make a lot of ice at once with it at once, and it's pretty inexpensive compared to other ice makers!