Pretty in pink: What is Pink Gin?
Over the past few years, Pink Gin has gained a lot of popularity in the cocktail world. Everywhere you look, from Instagram to your favourite cocktail bar, you will find this gin. In this blog, we take you on a journey through the world of pink gin. What is pink gin? What flavour is it, what makes pink gin pink, what is pink gin made from? Find out in this blog!
What is pink gin?
What makes Pink Gin special? Pink gin is a type of gin characterised by its pink or pinkish colour. As a spirit, pink gin can be made in the same way as other gins, with a few more additions, including post-distillation. It is often infused or flavoured with botanicals, fruits or other natural ingredients that give it its distinctive colour and unique flavour. Some pink gins are infused with botanicals such as rose petals, hibiscus flowers or pink peppercorns, while others derive their colour from fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb.
Although pink gin has gained popularity in recent years, it is worth noting that the term ‘pink gin’ traditionally refers to a cocktail and not a specific type of gin. However, the modern interpretation of pink gin has evolved to include a wider range of gins with a pink colour and additional flavours. Pink gin offers a wide range of flavour profiles, from floral and fruity to subtly spicy.
Pink Gin VS Normal Gin
There are several differences between pink gin and ‘normal’ gin. London Dry Gin is usually considered as the ‘normal gin’, read our blog London Dry Gin: Discover the dry delights of London to find out more about this type of gin. The main difference is in the flavour profile, but below we describe some of the other differences:
- Colour: Pink gin has a pink or light red colour, whereas ordinary gin is clear and colourless.
- Flavour profile: Pink gin tends to have a sweeter and fruitier taste than regular gin. Regular gin has a drier and more classic flavour profile.
- Ingredients: Pink gin may contain additional flavourings and colourings such as berries, pomegranate, raspberries and rose petals to achieve its sweet and fruity taste and colour. Ordinary gin is mainly distilled with juniper berries and a mixture of other botanicals such as coriander, angelica root and citrus peel.
- How to drink: Pink gin is often drunk neat or mixed with tonic water to make a refreshing and fruity gin and tonic. Regular gin is used in a wide range of cocktails and mixed drinks.
Another delicious option is Plymouth Gin. Like Pink Gin, it has a sweet taste, but also a full, distinctive and smooth flavour profile. Want to know more about this gin? Read more about Plymouth Gin: the gem of the gin world.
Origins and history of Pink Gin, a cocktail or a type of gin?
Is Pink Gin a cocktail or a type of gin? The origins of Pink Gin go back 2 centuries. This gin was discovered in Great Britain by the Royal Navy at the beginning of the 19th century. At the time, however, it was used to describe a specific cocktail consisting of a simple combination of gin and Angostura bitters. It was traditionally drunk by members of the British Royal Navy to enhance the flavour of the poor tasting gins of the time. At the time, gin was drunk to combat seasickness.
By the end of the 19th century, people all over the world were drinking the cocktail known as ‘The Pink Gin’. The classic cocktail continued to evolve as people took the liberty of adding their own twist to the traditional recipe, sometimes adding tonic or soda water, or a slice of lemon as a garnish.
The popularity of pink gin, a specific type of gin with a pink colour and different flavours, has grown in recent years. Gin producers began experimenting with different botanicals and fruits to create gins with a natural pink hue and unique flavour profiles.
What is pink gin made from?
Pink gin is made in different ways, depending on the producer and the specific flavour profiles they wish to achieve. What is in pink gin? Nowadays, pink gin is made by distilling the base gin in the same way as your original gin, but after distillation, the gin is infused with red or pink fruit or bitters as per the original recipe.
There are generally two main methods of making pink gin:
- Infusion: The infusion method involves adding botanicals, fruits or other natural ingredients to a neutral gin to achieve the desired pink colour and flavour. These ingredients are often added to the gin and left for a period to transfer the flavours and colours. Examples of ingredients used include rose petals, hibiscus flowers, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb and other botanicals that naturally have a pink hue. After the infusion process, the gin is filtered to remove unwanted particles and bottled for consumption.
- Distillation: In the distillation process, the botanicals and/or fruits are distilled directly with the neutral alcohol to obtain the desired flavours and colours. This can be done in a “one-shot” distillation, where all the ingredients are distilled at once. It can also be done using an infused base gin, where an already distilled gin is mixed with an infusion of botanicals and/or fruits to achieve the desired pink colour and flavours. After distillation, the pink gin is often diluted to the desired alcohol content and bottled for sale.
What makes pink gin pink?
The exact process and ingredients used vary from brand to brand and distillery to distillery. This results in a wide variety of pink gins on the market, each with its own distinctive flavour and colour. So, there is not one way to describe what flavour pink gin is.
As described above, the pink colour can come from the infusion of vegetable ingredients or fruit. As the gin steeps for a while, it absorbs the colour. So what pink gin is made from is not important. Many different ingredients can be used!
What flavour is pink gin?
We can’t really describe the taste of Pink Gin. The taste of Pink Gin can vary depending on the botanicals and fruits used in its production. In general, Pink Gin offers a versatile flavour experience, combining floral, fruity and sometimes subtly spicy notes. The specific flavour profile can be influenced by the choice and proportion of botanicals used.
Pink gin often has a floral character, especially when botanicals such as rose petals or hibiscus flowers are used. The fruity flavour comes from the fact that pink gin often contains fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb. These fruits can add a natural sweetness and a bright, refreshing quality to the gin. Some pink gins may contain subtle spices such as pink peppercorns or other aromatic herbs.
Top 5 best pink gins
Of course, it is difficult to speak for everyone, because everyone has their own preferences. Which pink gins are really in the top five for us in terms of quality and flavour profile?
- Beefeater Pink: Beefeater offers a vibrant pink gin with a blend of strawberry, citrus and juniper. This gin has a fruity and refreshing character that appeals to a wide range of palates.
- Gordon’s Pink: A gin infused with the natural flavours of raspberries and strawberries. It offers a balanced sweetness and subtle fruitiness.
- Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla: Tanqueray is renowned for its exceptional gins, and Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla stands out. Although not strictly pink, it has a lovely orange hue and is infused with Seville orange extracts. The result is a citrusy gin with a hint of sweetness.
- Malfy Rosa: An Italian gin infused with Sicilian pink grapefruit. It delivers a zesty and refreshing flavour with a beautiful pink hue.
- Mermaid Pink Gin: Caramelised strawberries emerge, backed by an uplifting coastal saltiness. With jammy fruit, spice and a hint of elderflower in the background, this is a gin that really makes you think.
Moving Spirits, your wholesaler for Pink Gin
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Want to learn more about gin first? Read our blog about 8 different types of gin.
So, what is pink gin? You can tell everything about it now! Don’t hesitate and buy Pink Gin for your liquor store at our wholesale.
