The most common of Empress Gin Drinks is a Gin and Tonic. One simple reason for that is that this Highball is the most famous gin drink, in general. Another factor is that in combination with acidic ingredients (like tonic water), Empress changes its color from dark blue/purple to bright pink - and tonic is acidic.
But Empress isn't limited to G&Ts. Its quite classic flavor profile makes it a great ingredient in many gin-based cocktail recipes.
Our Top 7 Empress Gin Cocktails
Here's a list of fantastic blue and purple cocktails you can easily make at home with the color-changing gin:
1. Empress Gin & Tonic
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Empress Gin
- 6 oz Tonic Water (e.g. Elderflower tonic water)
- 1 dash of Orange bitters
Instructions: Pour the Gin into a Highball glass filled with ice and top it with chilled elderflower tonic water. Add orange bitters and gently stir the drink before serving.
We're starting with the classiest option: a colorful G&T. Use the classic ratio of three parts tonic water per one part gin. Empress works extremely well with slightly floral or citrusy tonic water.
Our recommendation is Fever-Tree elderflower tonic water. This tonic is a bit sweeter than your standard bottles. Thus, we prefer to add a dash of orange bitters to the mix to balance the sweet flavors with some bittersweet citrus notes.
2. Lavender Martini
Ingredients:
- 2.5 oz Empress Gin
- 0.5 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.5 oz Homemade lavender syrup
- 2 dashes of Orange bitters
Instructions: Simply put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for about 10 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass and garnish with a lavender sprig.
Empress also works well in traditional recipes like a Dry Martini. But to spice things up, our Lavender Martini recipe also includes some lavender syrup and orange bitters to the mix.
Since we add floral syrup to the recipe, you want to shake this drink on ice instead of stirring it.
3. Pink Empress Gin Sour
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Empress Gin
- 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz Gomme syrup or simple syrup
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake the drink vigorously for 10 seconds and then strain it into an ice-filled glass.
A classic Gin Sour is one of the best Gin-based cocktails. When making it with Empress Gin, the drink will turn out bright pink instead of the usual yellowish version.
For a richer mouthfeel, I prefer gomme syrup in this recipe. If you don't have this at home, you can also use a rich simple syrup or a standard sugar syrup of your choice.
4. Amethyst Negroni
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Empress Gin
- 1.25 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 1.25 oz Campari
Instructions: add all ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir the drink until it's well-chilled. Strain over ice into a rocks glass and garnish as preferred; -the traditional option would be an orange peel.
The Amethyst Negroni got its name from its striking color. The flavor of this twist is pretty standard because it includes the same ingredients you will find in a classic Negroni recipe.
To emphasize the Gin's flavors, though, we slightly increased the ratio of the Gin. If this is too Gin-forward for your taste buds, you can adjust to equal amounts of Gin, Campari, and Vermouth.
5. Empress Negroni
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Empress Gin
- 0.75 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.75 oz Luxardo bitter bianco
Instructions: Like our Amethyst Negroni, this drink is made in a mixing glass. Pour all ingredients in with plenty of ice and stir until the cocktail is chilled. Then strain over ice into a cocktail glass.
This one is another Negroni riff, yet this time of a White Negroni. Empress Gin, Dry Vermouth, and Luxardo bitter Bianco make for a bittersweet drink with a beautiful color.
6. Purple Gin Fizz
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Empress Gin
- 0.75 oz Lemon juice
- 0.5 oz Rich syrup (2:1 ratio of sugar to water)
- 1 egg white
- Soda water
Instructions: add gin, lemon juice, rich syrup, and egg white into a cocktail shaker and vigorously shake for 15 seconds without ice. Add ice and shake again for a few seconds. Strain into a Highball glass and top with ice-cold soda water.
This bright pink-colored Gin Fizz variation is a tasty and refreshing cocktail with an eye-catching color. The addition of rich syrup instead of simple syrup in combination with egg white creates a velvety, smooth, and rich mouthfeel.
The freshness of lemon juice and chilled sparkling water make this drink a nice thirst quencher.
7. Empress French 75
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Empress Gin
- 0.5 oz Fresh lemon juice
- 1 bsp Simple syrup
- 2.5 oz Champagne
Instructions: combine Empress Gin, lemon juice, and syrup in your cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until it's chilled, and then strain into a Champagne flute. Top up the drink with chilled Champagne or another sparkling wine of your choice. Cheers!
This colorful twist on the traditional French 75 recipe is an easy-to-make and elegant drink. It's sweet, tangy, and super refreshing.