Spring has sprung-ish. And it will soon be pink gin time again.
The first pink gin was concocted by members of the British Royal Navy in the mid-19th century with sweet Plymouth gin and a single dash of Angostura bitters, which were used to combat seasickness. The House of Angostura was founded to sell bitters to sailors.
Medicinal bitters, which go back to ancient Egypt when they infused wine, are usually made from cassia (Chinese cinnamon), cascarilla (pressed chalk and powdered eggshells), gentian, orange peel, and cinchona. Angostura bitters actually don’t contain any angostura tree. They are named after a town in Venezuela, which was renamed Ciudad Bolivar. But made in Bolivia and from 1875 in Port of Spain. Peychaud’s Bitters were developed by apothecary Antoine Amedee Peychaud.
You either had your Pink ‘Un “in” or “out.” It was commonly topped up with iced water. A Pink G&T comprises 4 dashes of Angostura bitters and 2 shots of gin, served in a highball glass and garnished with lemon.
Cedric Dickens (great-grandson of the famous novelist) records in Drinking With Dickens that a Victorian ‘Burnt Pink Gin’ consisted of 1 tsp Angostura set afire by heating over a flame and then poured into a large tot of dry gin, adding cold water to taste.
Fire and Angostura bitters have become largely superfluous and marginalized. Pink gins are now infused with strawberries, rhubarb, grapefruit, and rose petals. Unsurprisingly, the UK leads the world in pink gins.
Brands like Gordon’s and Beefeater have their RTD pink gins but there are plenty of premium, artisanal ones such as the Isle of Wight Distillery’s vegan and glucose-free Mermaid Pink Gin, Warner’s Rhubarb Gin (allegedly first made from Queen Victoria’s rhubarb crop), The Lakes Pink Grapefruit, Proper Pink Gin, Salcombe Rose Santa Maria, Derbyshire’s Shivering Mountain, Pink Marmalade Gin, Australian Lilly Pilly Manly, French Audemus Pink Pepper, German The Bitter Truth, Finnish Kyro, Swedish Herno and Brannieri (with foraged lingonberries) and Love Gin, made at the Home of Golf, St Andrews in Scotland.
Which all started with Barry White.
Eden Mill “Love Gin” was created when founder Paul Miller’s wife Caroline suggested that, after twenty years of brewing beer, maybe she should make something special for her. He came up with a blush pink gin distilled with red rose petals, marshmallow root, goji berries, and whole hibiscus flowers, which he claims to be “more romantic than any Barry White song.”
Eden Mill, based on the Eden Estuary in Fife, on the site of the old Haig Bros Seggie Brewery (1810), was Scotland’s first single-site brewery and distillery.
Will Holt co-founded the Cambridge-based “Pinkster”, which produces raspberry-flavored “Pinkster Gin” as well as being the UK’s largest gin jam producer. “I never imagined I would become a bespoke jam-maker, especially a jam with a 2.5% ABV.”
“Pinkster” was born out of a midlife crisis and a yeast intolerance. Co-jam man Stephen Marsh is a former marketing agency accountant turned ginmeister and jam artisan.
Says Marsh: “We worked together in the communications business for fifteen years or so. I was the F.D. When told by my quack I couldn’t drink wine or beer anymore because of a yeast allergy, I started experimenting with gin.”
Marsh didn’t set out to make a pink gin. It just happened. After working his way through an entire fruit bowl, he realized that raspberries delivered the best flavor profile. That was in 2013.
“We’re limited by the length of the raspberry growing season, so we have a short production window, but hopefully many of us will be going to work on gin jam, and Pinkster will be the toast of the breakfast table.”
Ireland’s best pink gin is undoubtedly Glendalough Wild Irish Rose Gin, made by master distiller Ciaran “Rowdy” Rooney, with two species of mountain roses – Heritage and Wicklow. Spain boasts Akori Cherry Blossom Gin and Cubical Kiss.
Pink Gin makes great cocktails. Try a Blushing Conker from Dorset
Lushing Conkers
Ginger Ale and Conker Raspberry Gin.
- 50ml Conker Raspberry Gin
- 150ml Ginger Ale
- Fresh Raspberries & Mint to garnish
- Build in the glass over plenty of Ice
The makers from Dorset say: “Super fresh with a lovely bitter-sweet dance. This has long summer sundowners written all over it!”
or a …
Pink Shudder
- 50ml Shivering Mountain Premium Pink Gin
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 25ml Blanco Vermouth
- 5ml honey, Grapefruit, and mint to garnish
Or maybe instead a …
Pinkster Gin ‘n’ Jam
- 50ml Pinkster
- 10ml lemon juice
- A large spoonful of Gin Jam
Fill the shaker with ice and add ingredients, serve over crushed ice, and garnish with a second spoonful of jam and a raspberry.
Or perhaps a more mainstream
Pinktini
- 50ml Pinkster
- 10ml Elderflower cordial
Fill shaker with ice, throw in several raspberries, and then add five parts Pinkster to one part cordial, shake, and pour into an ice-cold Martini glass. Garnish with a raspberry and a sprig of mint.
