Empress 1908 Gin Sour Cocktail

With a striking shade of lovely indigo and a distinctive flavor, this Empress 1908 Gin Sour cocktail is a show-stopping beverage. Made easily from common ingredients and with a distinctive look, this gin cocktail recipe is designed to impress.

An Easy Empress Gin Cocktail

Whether you’re celebrating life’s special moments, enjoying a cocktail with friends, or just sipping on a cocktail at the end of a long day, a fun and refreshing beverage like this Empress 1908 Gin Sour cocktail is always welcome. 

This easy cocktail recipe is made with Empress 1908 Gin and a few other everyday ingredients. While classic gin sour is made with London dry gin, I’ve given the original gin sour recipe a makeover with this fun colored gin.

What You Need

• Empress Gin – About 2 ounces per cocktail.
• Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed is best.
• Simple syrup – Adds a touch of sweetness.
• Egg white – This adds the frothy element to the top of the gin cocktail.
• Ice – For shaking and chilling your cocktail.
• Dried lavender – For a colorful and unique garnish.

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You need a few specialty items to make this amazing cocktail:

• 2 cocktail glasses – The prettier, the better.
• A cocktail shaker – Make sure it has a tightly fitting lid.
• A cocktail strainer – To pour the chilled cocktail without the extra ice cubes ending up in the glass.

How To Make An Empress 1908 Gin Sour Cocktail

This gin cocktail recipe makes enough for 2 cocktails. Double or triple the recipe to make enough for a crowd.

1. Add the Empress Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white into a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake the cocktail shaker until a white foam appears.
3. Add a handful of ice to the shaker and shake again.
4. Strain the cocktail into pretty glasses, leaving the ice cubes behind.
5. Scrape any foam left in the shaker and add it to the top of each cocktail.
6. Garnish with dried lavender, and serve!

What Is Empress 1908 Gin?

Empress Gin is a beautiful blue color that’s all-natural. Made with the blossoms of butterfly pea plants, you might expect this gin to taste different and have floral notes, but it still has the same citrus, juniper, and coriander notes that make gin such distinctive alcohol. 

This is also a color-changing gin. When you add acid, like lemon juice or lime juice, the gin changes color from purple to pink. 

What Does A Gin Sour Taste Like?

Gin has pronounced flavors of citrus, juniper, and coriander notes, and to love a gin sour, you have to love gin. A gin sour showcases the best gin with a sour undertone, usually from lemon juice, and the frothy foamy top to the cocktail is more or less flavorless.

This is a gin-forward drink tempered by lemon and balanced by simple syrup. It is refreshing and flavorful, and relatively potent, so always drink responsibly.

What Is Simple Syrup?

Sugar doesn’t dissolve easily in cold liquids, so when you need to add a touch of sweetness to a gin cocktail recipe, you add simple syrup. 

Making simple syrup couldn’t be any easier. You simply:

1. Add equal amounts of water and granulated white sugar to a small saucepan.
2. Bring it to a boil, and then let it cool.

Simple syrup will keep for weeks in an airtight container in your fridge, so make some and keep it on hand for all sorts of fabulous cocktails!

Tips For Success

• This cocktail is best served strained without ice.
• Please note serving sizes are approximate, and the number of cocktails produced will vary depending on the size of your glassware.
• Make the simple syrup ahead of time and chill it.
• Set up a cocktail bar and let your guests serve themselves. There are great tips about setting up a DIY cocktail bar here.

Variations

• The foam on a traditional gin sour is made from egg white, but if you don’t want to use the raw egg white, you can use a pasteurized egg. For a vegan alternative use the same amount of aquafaba (chickpea liquid) or skip the egg white all together.
• If you do leave the egg or aquafaba out, you can also skip the dry shake (the first shake without ice.)
• Can’t find Empress 1908 Gin? Use your favorite gin brand, but it won’t be a pretty color.
• Sours can also be made with whiskey, vodka, tequila, brandy, and more.
• Use lime juice instead of lemon for a tasty twist.
• Garnish your gin sour with a lemon twist or lemon slice instead of lavender.

How to Store

Once mixed, gin sours should be consumed. You can keep pre-squeezed lemon juice and the simple syrup in the refrigerator, but the gin itself should be kept in the original bottle in a dry, dark, cool place.

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