To pair with the subtle nuances of this gin, The Lavender Empress Cocktail has been prepared in the style of a gin sour made with lemon juice, curaçao, egg white and a Butterfly Pea Blossom and Lavender Syrup. This lovely cocktail has beautiful purple color and the delightful flavor of flowers, citrus and subtle spice.

A fluted coupe glass filled with a purple Lavender Gin sour made with Empress 1908 Gin surrounded by fresh purple flowers

This original cocktail recipe was designed specifically to be used with Empress 1908 Gin. This lovely gin is known for it's elegant floral notes and natural indigo color.

For another delicious gin drinks try our Blackberry Bee's Knees!

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Empress 1908 Gin: Royally Delicious
What is Butterfly Pea Blossom?
Flower Power Sour: A Pretty Twist on a Classic
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Empress 1908 Gin: Royally Delicious

Empress 1908 Gin is as delicious as it is beautiful. This gin is a copper-pot distilled spirit that is flavored, infused with and naturally-colored by botanicals. This gin has Old Word notes of juniper paired with a soft, delicate pallet of earthy, citrus and floral flavors. Learn more about this vibrantly colored modern gin and how we used it to create this original gin sour, below.

Gin Story: History

Empress 1908 Gin was created in honor of the fit-for-a-Queen tea service provided at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Colombia. Since 1908, the grand Empress Hotel has been hosting world-travelers and royalty, alike.

Among it’s grandeur is the hotel’s world-renowned tea service. This tradition is celebrated with the Empress’s own tea blend curated of hand-picked leaves from Assam, Kenya, South India, Ceylon and China. This special tea not only sparked the inspiration for this gin - it is also used as one of the flavorings for this unique spirit.

Beautiful Botanicals

Empress 1908 Gin is infused with eight botanicals that create the elegant flavors and unique coloring. Those botanicals are as follows:

Butterfly Pea Blossom - Used for it's warm earthy flavors and all-natural indigo coloring.
Fairmont Empress Tea - This tea is the unique signature blend served at afternoon tea time at British Colombia's Empress Hotel.
Juniper - While some style of gin are quite juniper-forward, Empress 1908 uses a more subtle and delicately flavored varietal.
Grapefruit Peel - The grapefruit lends a pleasant citrusy aromatic and a touch of bitterness.
Coriander Seed - Coriander adds a warm, citrusy spice to palette of this gin.
Cinnamon Bark - A touch of cinnamon accentuates the notes of citrus, spice and ginger.
Rose Petal - Whole rosebuds from India are infused in this gin to lend a sultry floral flavor.
Ginger Root - Fresh ginger gives this gin a nice , peppery spice note.

Empress 1908 Gin sour Cocktails surrounded by fresh purple flowers and a bottle of Empress gin

What is Butterfly Pea Blossom?

Butterfly pea blossom, otherwise known as butterfly pea flower tea, or blue tea, is an herbal tea native to South East Asia. The whole flowers or petals are cherished for their deep indigo coloring. The butterfly pea blossoms are dried and traditionally steeped to be enjoyed as an herbal tea.

A Touch of Bartender Magic

As lovely as the coloring is, this tea actually changes colors in reaction to different pH levels. In fact, when lemon juice or tonic water are added to this tea or Empress 1908 Gin, the colors transform from deep purple to bright shades of lavender, pink and fuchsia. Quite a smashing bar trick, if you ask us!

Here is what Empress 1908 Gin has to say about Butterfly Pea Blossoms on the Empress website:

"Butterfly pea blossom gives Empress 1908 its distinct indigo hue. Discovered in another bespoke Empress tea blend, the pea blossom imbues the gin with a distinctive earthy note that balances traditional citrus notes and yields a rich pigmentation. This deep indigo hue changes to bright lavender, soft pink, or fuchsia depending on the mixer, adding to the rich sensory experience of enjoying an Empress 1908 cocktail."

-Empress 1908 Gin

Butterfly Pea Blossom & Lavender Syrup

This Butterfly Pea Blossom & Lavender Syrup was designed specifically to be paired with this delicately flavored gin. Together, the Empress 1908 Gin and this syrup accentuate each other’s pretty floral flavors and hues of blue and purples.

This syrup is also a lovely addition to a slightly more simply prepared: gin and tonic or a non-alcoholic lemonade. Butterfly Pea Blossom tea and dried lavender is sold online, in some health food stores and botanical medicine stores. Occasionally, you may find these products in your local grocery store (we bought ours at Whole Foods).

A lavender gin sour next to a bottle of Empress 1908 gin surrounded by purple flowers

Flower Power Sour: A Pretty Twist on a Classic

Classically, a gin sour consists of gin, lemon juice, sugar and (sometimes) an egg white. To accentuate the purple coloring and delicate flavors of Empress 1908 Gin, we gave this classic cocktail a modern twist. The addition of curaçao (brandy-based orange flavored liqueur) and our homemade Butterfly Pea Blossom & Lavender Syrup pair beautifully with our gin of choice: Empress 1908. The Lavender Empress cocktail is a Spring-inspired sipper that celebrates this gin’s indigo coloring and infusion of flowers, herbs and spices.

Rich & Silky Mouthfeel: The Power of an Egg White

Egg whites have been used in cocktails for many, many years and lend a lovely texture to many classic libations. When shaken, the egg white whips to a rich and frothy foam that sits pleasantly on the surface of the drink. We love the way an egg white balances the sharper citrus notes and marries the flavors of Empress 1908 Gin, citrus and lavender in this cocktail.

Moreover, the egg white makes The Lavender Empress cocktail look even more lovely by creating distinct layering and providing a lovely bed for the butterfly pea blossom garnish. All that being said, if you prefer to skip the egg white, go ahead and omit it from this recipe.

The Lavender Empress: A Gin Sour Cocktail