This vibrant Empress Gin Cocktail is a citrusy, color-changing sip of spring, perfect for patio season and easy to mix at home.
We love a pretty cocktail—especially when it tastes as good as it looks. The Spring Fling is a refreshing, citrusy sip made with Empress 1908 Gin, famous for its all-natural indigo hue. Add a splash of citrus or seltzer, and it transforms into the perfect pink drink. If you’re a fan of vibrant, seasonal cocktails like our Pink Señorita or Hibiscus Spritz, this one’s going to be right up your alley.
Why We Love This Empress Gin Cocktail
This modern twist on a classic gin and tonic is all about color, flavor, and fun. Empress Gin is infused with botanicals like butterfly pea flower, rose, and grapefruit peel, giving it a soft floral finish and a stunning look. It’s an easy cocktail to make, but guaranteed to impress—especially when paired with our Homemade Cheese Crackers, Blistered Shishito Peppers, or crowd-favorite Artichoke Dip.
Ingredients
- INDIGO GIN: we use Empress 1908 Gin
- POMEGRANATE JUICE: we recommend fresh pomegranate juice (not bottled) to achieve this subtle color
- GRAPEFRUIT SELTZER: we like Spindrift Grapefruit Sparkling Water. You can also use plain seltzer with a splash of grapefruit juice
- LIME: lime slices to garnish
🔪Top tip
For best results, use FRESH pomegranate juice. You only need a splash to get the perfect pink cocktail. Bottled pomegranate juice tends to look too dark.
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail glass with ice.
- Add pomegranate juice, then the grapefruit seltzer.
- Fill a shot glass with 2 oz. Empress 1908 Gin and pour slowly on top of seltzer.
- Garnish with lime wheel and enjoy.
*see recipe card for quantities.
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This post is sponsored by our friends at Empress 1908. All opinions are our own.
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FAQ
An Empress Gin cocktail is a vibrant, color-changing drink made with Empress 1908 Gin (infused with butterfly pea flower) plus citrus or seltzer. Its signature move? The gin turns from deep indigo to blush pink right in your glass, offering botanical flavor and visual wow.
Start with 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin, 1 oz grapefruit seltzer, and 1 oz pomegranate juice. Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the pomegranate juice and the seltzer. Poor the gin slowly over the top. The natural butterfly pea flower will shift the color as soon as the citrus hits!
We have found that using fresh pomegranate juice is best. You only need a splash to get the perfect pink. Bottled pomegranate juice tends to look too dark.
You can, but it won’t have that stunning color-changing magic. Regular gin will give you the same citrus-gin flavor—light and refreshing—but you'll lose the vibrant visual appeal.
Absolutely! Tonic adds effervescence and a subtle bitterness—think of it as a color-changing twist on a classic gin and tonic. Use equal parts gin and tonic, and garnish with citrus or herbs for extra pop.
You can add a shot of simple syrup, or replace the seltzer with ginger ale or lemon lime soda (Sprite).
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Empress Gin Cocktail recipe
This vibrant Empress Gin Cocktail is a citrusy, color-changing sip of spring, perfect for patio season and easy to mix at home.
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin
- 1 oz fresh pomegranate juice
- 3 oz grapefruit seltzer
- lime wheel
Instructions
- Fill a 10 oz glass with ice.
- Add pomegranate juice and then the grapefruit seltzer.
- Fill a shot glass with 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin and pour slowly on top of seltzer.
- Add lime wheel and enjoy.
Notes
- Use fresh pomegranate juice. You only need a splash to get the perfect pink hue. Bottled pomegranate juice tends to look too dark. Cranberry juice works too.
- You can use substitute tonic water for the seltzer and add a splash of grapefruit juice, or omit the juice all together.
- No cocktail shaker needed. To get a drink that looks like the photos, you must pour (layer) the ingredients on top of each other.
- Prep Time: 2 min
- Category: cocktails
- Method: n/a
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Drink
- Calories: 149
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 15.2 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.5 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
kaia says
yum
Me says
Have tried this several times and can't get the "pink" layer. The pomegranate and seltzer mix into a uniform color with the empress on top. Never like the pics.
Jackie says
Hi there! We are so happy you tried our cocktail!
We recommend using fresh pomegranate juice (or very little concentrate) so the pink color is light. Then pour the gin layer over the back of a spoon to help with the layering. Keep in mind these photos were "freshly poured". The drink eventually combines into one purplish color. Please let us know if this helps! Cheers!
Evy says
So good! My 2 bottom layers were darker then the picture but didn’t matter bc after serving I stirred and such a tasty drink! Uses Pom pomegranate and fever tree pink grapefruit. Not sure if there’s a lighter pomegranate juice.
Jackie says
thank you so much for stopping by Evy!! We are so happy you enjoyed this cocktail! Actually, we recommend using fresh pomegranate juice. It's not as dark as the bottled variety. We will definitely add this info to the post, so thank you for calling it out!!
Ken says
This is so beautiful!
Kevin says
Perfect for my daughter’s brunch!! Thanks for creating!!