Friends of Empress 1908
World Gin Day 2023
Raise a glass with Empress 1908 to our favourite spirit!
Unsurprisingly, we at Victoria Distillers go crazy for cocktails. We are constantly impressed with the ways talented bartenders around the world are pushing the boundaries of mixology. As the creators of Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, World Gin Day is our favourite time to celebrate the beauty of this spirit! What better way to mark the occasion than with gin sips made by these same skilled friends around the world?
We’re incredibly proud of how fast Empress 1908 has grown an international presence so that more people can taste and enjoy our gin! With friends from Canada, the US, Germany, and more, read on to explore this year’s selection of delicious cocktail recipes. If you’d like a bit of background on Victoria Distillers and gin itself, check out our blog post from a couple weeks ago!
1. Wild Blue Yonder — @cheerstohappyhour 🇨🇦
First from Toronto, Brenton created a delightful Canadian twist on the classic julep that exemplified the beauty of our country in a glass! With the cedar maple syrup to go alongside the local inspiration of Empress 1908’s botanicals, this sip definitely takes us to the rich, vast forests of Canada.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- ¼ oz Cedar-Infused Maple Syrup*
Method
Combine ingredients into a glass and fill with crushed ice. Gently stir to combine and garnish with cedar sprig.
*To make the Cedar-INfused Maple Syrup
Add 10g dried cedar leaves and 250g rich tasting maple syrup to a vacuum bag. Vacuum and sous-vide at 66˚C for 2 hours. Strain through a cheesecloth and coffee filter. Let cool completely before using.
2. Cherry Impression — @drink.LOVING.COUPLE 🇩🇪
Next, we have our friends from Germany, Franzi and Alex with quite the cherry bomb! This fruity and bright sip is sure to make its way to any summer favourite list.
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 1 oz Cherry Juice
- ¾ oz Lime Juice
- ½ oz Simple Syrup
- ¼ oz Cherry Liqueur
Method
Shake all ingredients over ice, strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry.
3. Purple Passion — @gintensiv 🇩🇪
Continuing in Germany, our friends at Gintensiv got everyone hyped up for this stunning glass of passion! We’re always such fans of highlighting the grapefruit and floral notes in Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, so this definitely celebrates the best of our spirit.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 1½ oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- ¾ oz Grapefruit Syrup
- Pinch of Lavender Blossoms
Method
Shake all ingredients over ice and fine-strain into chilled Nick and Nora glass.
4. Floradora — @ginanddomic 🇬🇧
On to our next stop, Dominic from the UK made a delicious classic that showcases a dynamic combo of tart raspberries and lightly spicy ginger ale. With such beautiful layers and refreshing flavours, the Floradora is definitely one of our favourite picks for the summer!
Ingredients
- 50 ml Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 20 ml Raspberry Syrup
- 20 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 125 ml Ginger Ale
Method
Add all ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice, finishing with a float of Empress 1908 Indigo Gin. Garnish with raspberries, mint, and a lime wedge.
5. Pigment of Imagination — @ed_tales 🇬🇧
Also representing the UK, we have our friend Ed with his crisp, seasonal dream. The way he played with the earthy, floral, and citrus notes from Empress 1908 along with the rhubarb makes this a Canadian summer staple!
Ingredients
- 50 ml Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 25 ml Lemon Juice
- 15 ml Elderflower Liqueur
- 15 ml Rhubarb Syrup*
- Top with Soda Water
- Rhubarb and Lemon Twist (for garnish)
Method
Add all ingredients (except soda water) into a shaker and shake for 15 seconds. Strain into Collins glass filled with ice and top with soda water. Add rhubarb and lemon twist for garnish.
*To make the Rhubarb Syrup
Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup chopped rhubarb in a small saucepan on low/medium heat. Warm until the sugar dissolves and the rhubarb breaks apart. Take off the heat, and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain out the solids (solids can be used as a sort of compote). Bottle and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
6. Earl Blue Sour — @storyaboutcocktails 🇫🇷
Time to stop for tea in France! Nicolas changed things up by playing with the tea blend in our botanical recipe through creating an Earl Grey syrup for this tasty sour. The bergamot in the tea elevates the citrus perfectly and the complexity introduced by the syrup with the silky egg white makes for classy sipping!
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- ¾ oz Earl Grey Syrup*
- 1 Egg White
Method
Add ingredients to shaker and shake without ice. Add ice and shake again. Fine-strain into a chilled couple and garnish with edible blue flowers.
*To make the Earl Grey Syrup
Pour 100g of hot water over 2g of Earl Grey tea leaves. Add 100g of sugar and stir until dissolved. Let infuse for 5-10 minutes, depending on preferred taste. Fine-strain, bottle, and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
7. Strawberry Fields G&T — @moodycocktails 🇺🇸
Let’s go to the strawberry fields in the US! Ron brought us the summer vibes in this sip with the classic pairing of strawberries and rhubarb to add some lovely sweet and tart dimension to this G&T.
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- ½ oz Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup
- ½ oz Lime Juice
- 4 oz Tonic Water
Method
Add ingredients to tall glass filled with crushed ice and top with tonic water. Garnish with mint sprig and a strawberry.
8. Follower-Created Highball — @highproofpreacher 🇺🇸
Later in May, Jordan asked his followers to suggest ingredients to make a cocktail using Empress 1908. Many were yummy and some not so, but he finally came across this delight that had a twist of raspberry vinegar!
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- ¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- ½ oz Simple Syrup
- 1 tsp Raspberry Vinegar
- Ginger Beer
- Fresh Rosemary Sprig
Method
Combine ingredients (except ginger beer) and shake over ice. Fine-strain into Collins glass filled with ice, top with ginger beer, and garnish with rosemary.
9. Humuhumunukunukuapua’a — @thirstywhale_ 🇺🇸
What better way to enjoy this summer celebration than with a tiki gin cocktail? Named after Hawaii’s national fish, this sip mixed by Justin takes us to the tropics with zesty, sweet pineapple and fragrantly nutty orgeat. Try saying the name three times fast!
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin
- ¾ oz Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- ¾ oz Orgeat
- 1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
Method
Combine all ingredients and whip shake over a bit of crushed ice until dissolved. Open pour into glass filled with more crushed ice. Garnish with lemon wheel and mint sprig.
10. Ultimate Gin & Tonic Guide — @TrufflesOnTheRocks 🇪🇸
At our final stop in Spain, Jean-Félix teaches you how to upgrade our favourite cocktail – the gin & tonic! By understanding how to work with the flavour profile of your selected ingredients and highlight certain aromatic notes, you will be on your way to creating the best G&T. Check out the full guide on JF’s YouTube channel!
Hope you enjoyed these wonderful creations our friends made for our favourite day of the year! We especially appreciated seeing all the delicious Empress 1908 cocktails from you guys on social media. It’s always such a pleasure to see the creativity exhibited through mixing with our spirit!
For more cocktail inspiration, check out our Instagram, Cocktail Page, or Blog!
Sip responsibly!
