I love simple recipes, and easy drink recipes are no exception! The Empress Gin and Jam cocktail calls for only a couple ingredients, and is the perfect way to welcome in the early signs of spring. Micro-distilled in small batch copper-pot stills using eight botanicals, and colored with an all-natural indigo hue from butterfly pea flowers, Empress 1908 Gin pairs perfectly with the freshness from the mint, and the fruitiness from the raspberry jam; the slightly bitter notes from the tonic water give this spring sip extra depth.
What makes Empress 1908 Gin so special?
Empress 1908 Gin is a hand-crafted spirit from Victoria Distillers in British Columbia, Canada. It’s micro-distilled in small batch copper pot stills using eight botanicals: juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, butterfly pea blossoms and the Fairmont Empress Blend Tea. The gin gets its gorgeous color naturally from butterfly pea flowers. It’s a very complex gin, that lends itself well to floral and fruity cocktails. It’s perfect with berries and herbs!
Butterfly pea flowers are naturally pH sensitive which makes working with Empress super fun: any acidic additions, such as lemon, shifts the indigo color to magenta or pink. Basic ingredients, such as tonic water, give it the most gorgeous lagoon blue. Honestly, it makes bartending like a delicious science experiment. In this recipe, the grapefruit juice causes the color to shift from indigo to pink.
How to make this cocktail
Making this Empress Gin and Jam cocktail couldn’t be more simple, and doesn’t require any special equipment or prep. Start by muddling the mint. Add the jam and gin, stir to combine, and strain into a short glass over ice. Top with tonic water, and garnish. Simple!
This recipe makes one Empress Gin and Jam cocktail, but can easily be scaled up to make more. Due to its simplicity, this is a fabulous option for a batched cocktail.
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I hope you enjoy the Empress Gin and Jam! Be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creations, and leave me a comment below! Your feedback helps other home cooks and bakers who are giving this recipe a try, and I love hearing about what you made!
