Why is pink gin called pink?
The original pink gin earned its name because the bitters lent it a rosy hue, and it remains part of the canon of classic British serves. As for today's pink gin craze? It's largely unrelated to traditional pink gin, and is, instead, much more about optics.
Gin is a distilled alcohol with a primary botanical of juniper berries, while pink gin is usually a dry gin flavoured or infused with red fruits to impart a pink colour and sweeter, fruitier flavour.
What Makes It Different? Pink gin is normal gin that has been flavoured with fruits. It's similar to normal gin as it has no added sugar and contains the same alcohol by volume. However, red or pink fruits like strawberries, raspberries or red currents are added.
I'm afraid it's not just your bottle, or a faulty batch, it's a consequence of how these gins are being coloured and flavoured. The good news? It's because producers are using natural colourings, so there's no need to worry about artificial nasties, and there's also an easy way to slow the fade…
Beefeater Pink Gin
Made using the original Beefeater London Dry recipe, its strawberry flavouring that's responsible for the vibrant bubblegum-pink hue. Creamy vanilla overpowers any hint of juniper you might expect to find, making this ideal for those that prefer their gin on the sweeter side.
The pink color in this spirit derives from infusion of red and pink produce, spices, or bitters – or even added coloring and sweeteners. Popular ingredients like strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, grape skins, rose petals, and red currents, can add color as well as fragrance and flavor to a pink gin.
Another recent release that would be useful for making a freaky looking Martini, if that's your thing, is Conniption Kinship from Durham Distillery. This purple gin actually shifts colors as you mix it with other ingredients, changing from violet to blue or pink as you build a co*cktail.
Of course, you can always drink your gin straight. Some people will even tell you that it's the best way to enjoy gin.
For industry expert Taavi Tenso, Brand Ambassador for Crafters (Liviko), the reason why pink gin has become so popular is because companies and brands found that people didn't like the taste of gin that much. People found it to be too dry as a spirit and even more so when mixed with tonic.
Broadly speaking there are some key ways to serve Pink Gins: gin and a mixer (e.g. tonic, lemonade or ginger ale), in sour co*cktail with lemon juice and sugar syrup, topped up with Prosecco, as a replacement for 'regular gin' in classic gin co*cktails and neat!
Can you get pink gin in America?
Beefeater Pink, the first gin in the U.S. naturally flavored with hints of strawberry for a new generation of gin drinkers. Our founder James Burrough would often experiment with new flavored gins and liqueurs, purchasing his ingredients from London's Covent Garden markets in the 1800s.
Yep, Sharish Blue Magic Gin really is quite magical. The gin itself is a bright blue hue, but once poured into a glass and mixed with tonic, it changes to a pale purple/pink colour. The gin itself contains cl*toria Ternatea flowers which gives the spirit its vibrant colour, without the addition of artificial colouring.
A single shot of Pink Whitney is around 29.5 ml. It takes at least six shots of Pink Whitney to get an average person drunk because it only has 30% alcohol content. However, this might change depending on the individual and how soon the shots are drunk.
There are three main types of gin: distilled gin, redistilled gin, and compound gin. Distilled gin comes from a mash or fermented alcohol base. It's similar to the technique for whiskey production. Redistilled gin comes from the second distillation of a neutral spirit.
Pink gins don't contain any added sugar, so whilst they're a little sweeter than a London Dry, thanks to those juicy fruit infusions, they're still clearly gin, and are the same strength ABV as London Dry gin.
Pink gin was historically used to reference a type of co*cktail made fashionable in England in the mid-19th century, consisting of Plymouth gin and a dash of Angostura bitters, a dark red bitters that makes the whole drink pinkish.
The mixed drink gin and tonic also originated in British colonial India, when the British mixed their medicinal quinine tonic with gin and other ingredients to make the bitter medicine more palatable. Soldiers in India were already given a gin ration, so the sweet concoction was easy to make.
The secret
Most Gins contain next to Juniper berry and citrus botanicals such as lemon and bitter orange peel, anise, angelica root and seed, orris root, liquorice root, cinnamon, cubeb, savoury, lime peel, grapefruit peel, dragon eye, saffron, baobab, frankincense, coriander, nutmeg and cassia bark.
The primary three ingredients used in the majority of gins are juniper, coriander and angelica. Even though these are the most popular, there are hundreds of flowers, roots, fruits, berries and nuts that are used to create a palate for each gin that makes it distinctive.
Blue gin is a refined gin featuring organic ingredients that work together to produce a nutty, fruity aroma and taste. These natural ingredients change color when combined with other fun beverages, creating a visually-appealing display for consumers and mixologists.
What gin changes color with ice?
Empress 1908 gin makes a magical co*cktails with its natural indigo hue; but that's just the start. Gin lovers will flip when tonic water is added transforming the color before their eyes! This color-changing gin is makes a perfect co*cktail any time of the year and is perfect for Halloween!
The Colour Can Change To Blue OR Pink.
So if you add acid, say lemon juice, to Empress Gin, it will become a beautiful red-pink colour. And if you add something basic to it, like cucumber, it will turn blue.
Least amount of sugar: vodka and gin.
By themselves, "clear liquors like vodka and gin have the fewest calories and the least amount of sugar," says Amy Shapiro, R.D. That means they're easier for our bodies to metabolize and may result in less intense hangovers for some people.
When you consume any alcoholic drink in excess, it can lead to hangovers. Gins, with its 40+ per cent alcohol content, can get you there a bit faster than the rest.
The Pink Lady became a favorite of high-society ladies from the 1930s to the 1950s, and its reputation as a “girly” order was perhaps solidified in the 1951 title The Bartender's Book, by Jack Townsend, the president of New York's bartender's union: “Why, surely you know her,” Townsend wrote of the typical Pink Lady ...
Vodka is made of potatoes and contains even grains with around 14% ABV (alcohol by volume), while pink gin is made from natural fruits, like raspberry and strawberry, with 42% Vol. 50 cl. With these fruit blends and alcohol, pink gin creates an amazingly unique flavour, distinct fruity aroma, and magnificent taste.
Pink gin, on the other hand, is regular gin that's been flavoured with fruits. It doesn't differ much from conventional gin as it also doesn't contain any added sugars. Plus, it has the same alcohol by volume as regular gin. Thus, the only difference is its flavor profile, resulting from the incorporation of fruits.
Alcoholism was widespread amongst the poor in the 1700s, and the rise of the 'gin craze' became infamous. Gin was cheap and extremely strong, and for many people offered a quick release from the grinding misery of everyday life. By the 1730s, over 6000 houses in London were openly selling gin to the general public.
A tasting glass will enhance the intensity and concentration of aromas of the gin so you have the best experience. Sip the gin slowly and savour each mouthful.
Putting your gin in the freezer doesn't ruin the gin. In fact, it's the best way to maintain the quality of the spirit. You can keep gin in the freezer as long as you like. However, you must ensure it's in an airtight bottle as oxygen can impact the taste of the spirit.
What is the best mixer for pink gin?
Lemonade is a great combo with our ROOBEE Rhubarb Gin, making a sweet and fruity pink co*cktail. Check out my Ultimate Pink Gin and Lemonade recipe below...
These days, pink gins gain their blush hue from one of two add-ins: artificial coloring or all-natural fruit. Applying false colorings – might bring “pink” to the drink – but also alters the once clean gin with extra sugary ingredients.
Originally the term “pink gin” was used to describe regular gin with a splash of angostura bitters. Nowadays, you can expect pink gins to be infused with a whole assortment of fruit, herbs and spices, including strawberries, rhubarb, grapefruit and rose petals.
From Tanqueray Gordon & Co Ltd
Gordon's Pink has a luxurious creaminess that is the perfect complement to its complex array of fruitiness. Sweet and juicy strawberry is mixed with a little tartness of redcurrant and the tang of raspberry.
Pink gin is made just like any other normal gin, through a distillation process. The flavours and any added colourings are added during this process to infuse the gin. Common pink gin ingredients like red berries (like strawberries and redcurrants), rose petals and other spices are added to steep the spirit.
Pink gin differs from regular gin in that standard gin is distilled alcohol flavoured predominantly with juniper berries. In contrast, pink gin flavour is typically a gin flavoured or infused with red fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb.
A typical pink gin is one part gin and one dash of angostura bitters. Though there are no major variations of pink gin, many bartenders vary the amount of angostura bitters used. Typically the drink is topped up with iced water, rarely without water.
Our Original London Dry Gin recipe has been infused with Scottish raspberries and blackberries to create a fruity gin that has a light and delicate sweetness.
The Only Way Is Gin Raspberry Pink Gin is ruby pink in colour, with an aroma that is full of bright, fresh and slightly tart raspberry with undertones of citrus.
With the ABV of 35%, this Premium Gin uses imported botanicals from the gardens of Andalusia, Spain that has a prominent Zesty flavor of Lime, with subtle notes of Mint.
What country is Gordon's Pink Gin from?
Beefeater Pink is a vibrant strawberry gin from Beefeater London.
The one ingredient that all gins have in common is juniper, a signature botanical used to flavour this spirit. Since it's a primary ingredient that defines gin, distillers use juniper berries in their mash which helps bring out the traditional notes of pine often found within it.
Mombasa Club Strawberry Edition Gin
Mombasa gin is triple-distilled for delicate smoothness before being infused with real strawberries and other red fruits. The result is a sweet, juicy gin which is perfect for the summer. The flavours balance between sweetness and acidity with bold fruity notes.
