Queen Victoria with Empress Gin

Last week I had the opportunity to go on my first industry trip to Victoria, British Columbia, sponsored by Empress 1908 Gin. We stayed at the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel, which was the inspiration for the gin's creation. They really spoiled us. We had beautiful rooms at the Empress, a whale watching trip, a morning at the spa, a champagne tea, and two lovely dinners. And of course we visited Victoria Distillers, where Empress 1908 is made. It's a gorgeous distillery, with large windows looking out over the Salish Sea. They make a number of spirits there, including two other gins that are locally quite popular. But Empress 1908 has been their most popular product by far, and it's easy to see why.

I think it's safe to say that Empress is one of the most unique gins out there. You may have already noticed it on a liquor store shelf or in Instagram photos. Among an array of clear gins, its deep indigo color is hard to miss. But Victoria Distillers didn't set out to make a purple gin. They wanted to make a limited-edition gin to celebrate the renovation of the Empress Hotel (named for Queen Victoria, Empress of India). The Empress is famous for their tea, so the distillers turned to the tea menu for inspiration. They chose the Empress Blend black tea to infuse the gin, but they were also inspired by a tea blend called "Blue Suede Shoes" that contained butterfly pea flowers and was, as the name suggests, blue. So they added the flowers to the gin as well, giving it a gorgeous purple hue.

When Victoria Distillers started experimenting with Empress 1908 in cocktails, they discovered what drinkers of butterfly pea tea had already known for some time - that with the infusion of the flowers, the gin actually changes color when an acid like lemon juice is added, from bluish to pinkish. It's magical and fun, and definitely the thing that attracts most people to Empress. But it's also an excellent gin, with a style between a typical London Dry and an American gin with notes of juniper, tea, and grapefruit. If you think you're not a gin person, this lovely bottle might change your mind.

I had several great cocktails made with Empress 1908 while in Victoria. It's fantastic in a Bee's Knees or a French 75. When you make a Negroni Bianco with it, it keeps its bluish purple color, while a traditional Negroni comes out a deep garnet red even prettier than its usual bright crimson. One favorite was a Gin Smash made with mint and lavender from the Fairmont Empress' rooftop gardens. And of course we had lots of gin and tonics. Empress recommends Fever Tree tonic and a slice of grapefruit for garnish.

For my first cocktail made at home with the Empress, I knew I wanted to use eggwhites because the purple color looks so good with that layer of foam. I decided to double down on all things purple by adding a lavender simple syrup and bit of Creme de Violette to a traditional gin sour. The result is a colorful, floral drink pretty enough to do justice to this wonderful gin. Thank you again to Empress 1908 for having me in Victoria!

Queen Victoria

2 oz. Empress 1908 Gin
1/4 oz. Creme de Violette
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. lavender simple syrup*
1/2 oz. eggwhite

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled and combined, about 20 seconds. Strain out ice and dry shake for another 30 seconds or so. Fine-strain into a coupe glass and garnish with lavender buds and flowers.

*For lavender syrup, make a typical 1:1 simple syrup and pour it into a jar with several sprigs of fresh lavender. Let sit overnight to infuse.

Water Lily

One of the first things I bought for my bar was a bottle of crème de violette. I tried my first Aviation and I loved it so much that I splurged on both the crème de violette and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. The Luxardo turned out to be a brilliant purchase, and it ended up in many more cocktails. The crème de violette, on the other hand, hasn't really seen much use. So I was pretty excited to come across the Water Lily, which features it as a main ingredient.

With equal parts gin, crème de violette, Cointreau, and lemon juice, this cocktail is very sweet and tart, with flavors of orange and florals. It's reminiscent of the Aviation, but much sweeter - almost candy-flavored. But in a good way. It's surprisingly delicious.

History: The Water Lily was created by Richard Boccato at PDT in New York. According to The PDT Cocktail Book, he made it for a good friend of his whose middle name was Lily.

Water Lily

3/4 oz. gin
3/4 oz. Cointreau or triple sec
3/4 oz. crème de violette
3/4 oz. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Recipe from The PDT Cocktail Book.

Aviation

This is the cocktail that got me into cocktails. I first tried it at Eastern Standard, one of my favorite cocktail bars in Boston. The gin melded perfectly with the taste of cocktail ingredients I'd never tried or heard of before. The finished product was deliciously tart and very unique. I would have made this my first post, but it contains a couple of intimidating ingredients that most people don’t have on hand: Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and Crème de Voilette. We talked about Luxardo on Monday. Crème de Voilette, however, is a new ingredient. I haven't made it a "bottle buy" because so far this is the only recipe I know of that uses it, though I'm determined to find some others. I'd definitely try ordering an Aviation at a local bar and seeing if you like it before you splurge on this very specific ingredient. If nothing else, the bottle is adorably retro. 

And don't forget a jar of Luxardo maraschino cherries; eating the garnish when you're finished this cocktail is the only thing that will keep you from being sad that your glass is empty.

History: The Aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin, the head bartender at the Wallick Hotel in New York. The first recipe appears in his 1916 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks. It was copied by Harry Craddock into his more popular Savoy Cocktail Book. Unfortunately, Craddock forgot the Crème de Voilette, causing countless bartenders to wonder why on earth the drink was called an Aviation. Once the discrepancy was sorted out, it was clear that the drink gets its name from its sky blue color. A recent Gothamist article humorously (and correctly) referred to the Aviation as “the only blue cocktail you should ever drink.”

Aviation

1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. maraschin liqueur
1/4 oz. Creme de Voilette*

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Pour into a martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a Luxardo maraschino cherry dropped into the bottom of the glass.

*Some may find this much Crème de Voilette a bit much. Other recipes call for merely rinsing the glass with it; try this for a more subdued flavor. I think Eastern Standard's recipe is something in between, but I like the full quarter ounce.