Butterfly pea flower, one of the gin’s most iconic botanicals, is a flower native to Southeast Asia that lends Empress 1908 its color-shifting feature and eye-catching color. Additionally, the gin sources inspiration from tea time at the legendary Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. Thus, it includes Fairmont Empress Tea, the signature tea blend used at the hotel, created exclusively by the Metropolitan Tea Company.

I further like Empress 1908 Gin paired with fresh citrus. A Tom Collins is a nice drink here. Skip the Gimlet unless you’re using some fresh lime or homemade cordial. Overall, Empress 1908 Gin A forward earthiness from butterfly pea blossoms and Fairmont Empress House Tea blend, followed by robust citrus notes from grapefruit peel, delicate floral hints from rose petal and warm spice from ginger and cinnamon. Accolades The palate has a hint of rose early. If you’re looking for an overtly floral gin— this isn’t it. Ripe, boiled grapefruit, resinous juniper cones take hold mid-palate. In an interview with Phil Lecours, Master Distiller at Victoria Distillers, we got an inside look at all things Empress 1908. How the Gin Is Made Yes, I said color-changing gin. While it’s in the bottle the gin is dark purple, but once it is mixed with the lemon juice, the acid turns this gin a pretty pink color. It definitely adds an extra fun element you won’t find with your everyday gin. What You NeedEmpress 1908 is a slightly contemporary style gin with a heady citrus, juniper and coriander accord that takes copious cues from gin’s 300 year history. Despite the color, don’t come to Empress 1908 Gin expecting something floral or violet-flavored. This is a mixing gin with a strong emphasis on showmanship. Towards the finish, earthy coriander, green tea, and bulky, dry cinnamon (with no red hot character) stew on the edges of the palate. Radiant heat from the base spirit gives these notes some length— but warmth is the primary character that remains after sipping.

I don’t think of Empress 1908 Indigo Gin as just a color-changing gin. That is one of its attributes for sure, however, flavor and quality are what sets it apart. If the spirit in the bottle wasn’t great, we wouldn’t have the following we enjoy today.” Empress 1908 Gin is rather by the numbers as far as palate goes. The citrus is big and dominant, and for that reason I think it leans contemporary.

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Empress 1908 is produced by Canadian distillery Victoria Distillers in small-batch copper pot stills. There, it is made using a menagerie of flavorful ingredients, including grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon, coriander and rose petal. First things first: That vibrant blue liquid is gin — not violet liqueur, not sloe gin, not something from the planet Zebulon. It’s a straight gin colored to be blue, thanks to the addition of butterfly pea blossoms to the distillate. Despite how large of an impact gin has on the spirits industry around the world, the juniper-based liquor still seems to be reduced to its Christmas tree-like tasting notes (even if we know it is so much more than that). Therefore, it can be difficult to persuade new or juniper-averse imbibers to give gin a go. To this, Lecours explained that Empress 1908 is “not your grandparents’ gin.”

We don’t try to punch you in the mouth with heavy juniper,” he continued. “This is a complex, inviting gin.” Commenting on the gin’s key botanicals, Lecours said, “Besides the obvious juniper, I think there is more in the balance of all the botanicals in our recipes, as opposed to just one single flavor that stands out.” While we often group Empress 1908 with other color-shifting or purple gins, Lecours sees it differently.Empress Gin is a beautiful indigo color, somewhere between purple and blue, that gets its all-natural color from being distilled with the blossoms of butterfly pea plants. While you might expect this gin to taste different or have floral notes, it still has the same citrus, juniper, and coriander notes that make gin such distinctive alcohol. 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. I have been able to pass on what I have learned to my team,” he shared. “I truly enjoy teaching and mentoring. It’s an amazing feeling to watch my team grow in their roles here at Victoria Distillers.”