Wow your summer cocktail party guests with this vibrant 4 ingredient Empress gin cocktail that whips up in just 5 minutes! The layered blue and purple look is mesmerizing and you don’t need a mixologist degree to make it. On a summer day, you’ll love the refreshing taste that is both tart and sweet.
The summer season is when most fruity cocktail recipes shine. The bright colors, the tropical and refreshing flavor, not to mention they are so much fun to serve at parties! The ombre layered look is one of my favorite bartender tricks, similar to how I make Tipsy Mermaids. You can also use your leftover gin for blackberry cocktails or mix it with ginger beer and lime juice for a classic Moscow Mule.
As you may know, a summer party cannot be a hit without some food and perhaps some piña colada jello shots! As an easy meal, serve grilled shrimp skewers with roasted veggies. Then display your peach shooters or pink lemonade jello shots to get the party started.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Gin Cocktail Recipe
- Light and refreshing.
- Tart but sweet.
- The crowd goes wild over how majestic it looks.
- Easy to make.
What Ingredients do I Need for Empress Gin Cocktails?
- ice cubes – you’ll need just enough to fill your glasses
- pink lemonade – adds the tartness with having to use lemon juice
- Blue Curacao – gives the drink more color and sweetness without needing more sugar or simple syrup
- Empress Gin – the colorful star of the show!
- Creme de Violette – a liqueur that is lavender purple and filled with floral flavors
- Pineapple wedges, maraschino cherries, orange slices, lemon twist, a mint leaf, or lime slices to garnish
Before You Start: Have a spoon ready. This is how we create the unique layered look.
How to Make Gorgeous Empress Gin Cocktails
PREP: Fill the glasses with ice and pour in the pink lemonade.
ADD THE LIQUOR: Pour the Blue Curacao down the backside of the spoon against the glass. In a separate glass, combine the creme de Violette and Empress gin.
SERVE: Pour the gin mixture on the back of the spoon resting against again the glass. Garnish and serve.
- Even though most cocktails like this one use a simple syrup, I like the Blue Curacao for the look and the amount of sweetness. If you didn’t have any on hand you can use a homemade simple syrup recipe, the drink just won’t be as blue.
- We prefer to use a straight sided glass so we can see all three layers. However, you could use champagne flutes or a martini glass, it will just mix and will not look the same.
- Do not add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. They will mix together and won’t look nearly as pretty.
- Feel free to use the purple empress gin and mix with tonic water, soda water, or club soda for a more classic drink.
- Combine the extra gin with an egg and lemon juice (shake and strain) for a gin sour.
Fun Fact
Because there are no artificial dyes in Empress gin, if the bottle is in the sunlight for too long, the color can fade.
It’s a London Dry Gin that is a rich blue or indigo color and has hints of juniper (complex citrus flavor) in every sip, along with Fairmont Empress Tea. This liquor was inspired by the famous Fairmont Express Hotel, located in British Columbia and is made by Victoria Distillers.
This liquor gets its beautiful color from butterfly pea flower, which is bright blue. However, depending on the type of cocktail you create, it can change colors based on the ixer added.
Nope! The distillers directly state that they do not use artificial dyes. Instead, the color comes from the botanicals and flower it’s made with.
More Boozy Summer Cocktail Recipes
Empress Gin Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 cup ice cubes or enough to fill glass
- ½ cup pink lemonade
- ¾ oz. Blue Curacao
- 1 oz. Empress Gin
- ½ oz. Creme de Violette
- Pineapple wedges maraschino cherries, orange slices, or lime slices to garnish
Instructions
- Fill glass with ice.
- Add pink lemonade to the glass.
- Slowly pour the Blue Curacao over an upside down spoon to direct the blue liquor down the side of the glass.
- In a separate dish, combine Empress gin and creme de violette.
- Pour the gin mixture slowly over an upside down spoon resting against the side of the glass as you did with the blue curacao.
- Garnish with tropical fruit, as you wish.
Nutrition
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