Pink Gin
Ingredients
Instructions
Pour the bitters into a wine glass. Swirl the glass to coat the inside with the bitters, shake out the excess. Pour the gin into the glass. Do not add ice.
Pink Gin is one of the oldest cocktails in British naval history, consisting simply of a measure of gin with a few dashes of Angostura Bitters swirled to coat the glass, giving the drink its characteristic blush colour. It is a stark, spirit-forward drink with no dilution or additional ingredients, making it an intensely aromatic and bitter experience. The simplicity of the recipe demands a quality gin as the sole flavour carrier.
History & Origins
Pink Gin has roots in 19th-century British Royal Navy medicine, where Angostura Bitters was used to treat seasickness and nausea and was mixed with the sailors' daily gin ration to make it more palatable. The practice of drinking gin-and-bitters became fashionable among the naval officer class and spread to British gentlemen's clubs and colonial outposts across the Empire. It predates virtually all other cocktail recipes that involve bitters.
Tasting Notes
Aroma: Clean gin botanicals — juniper, coriander, and angelica — with the complex spice of Angostura Bitters and a blush of warm spice. Palate: Intensely spirit-forward and aromatic with juniper and botanical complexity dominating; the Angostura adds layers of gentian bitterness, cinnamon, and clove, with no sweetness or dilution to moderate the experience. Finish: Very long, dry, and bitter with a warming gin and spice echo.
Pro Tip
Swirl the bitters thoroughly around the wine glass to coat the interior evenly, shake out any excess, then pour the gin gently so it absorbs the bitters coating for a fully integrated flavour.
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