Whether you’re having a girls night in, or want to impress your date, learning how to make layered martinis is a great skill to have up your sleeve. And with Empress 1908 gin (made from botanicals including lavender, juniper berries and chamomile), you can make cocktails that are chic and sophisticated in your own kitchen. A friend of ours came over with a bottle of Empress 1908’s purple-hued gin last night, so, of course we had to try it! We played around with a few drink combinations, and after a couple tries, settled on our favorite mixtures: a purple rain limeade, layered martini, and color changing citrus cocktails- all inspired by Empress 1908! Something interesting about working with Empress 1908 gin is that it changes color depending on the ph of what you mix it with – so the more acids you add (lemon juice, lime, etc.) the more the purple hue of the gin will change from its original color! Overall every cocktail below was sooo good – it’s safe to say there’s not much gin left. These drinks were as beautiful as they were delicious! Enjoy!!
layered gin martini
Ingredients: Trader Joe’s Italian grapefruit soda, grenadine, Empress 1908 gin
Tips for creating layered cocktails
When making a layered libation, three factors play a critical role in the final presentation of the drink: temperature, density, and the speed at which you mix the cocktail’s ingredients:
- When making the cocktail, slow and steady wins the race: Use a slow and steady hand when pouring your top layers. You can help control the flow by using either an specifically designed spout or just holding it in place with one finger while pouring from behind so that you don’t send too much liquid spilling out onto whatever surface below!
- Temperature: keeping things cool is essential to the perfect layers! If you’re aiming for an “ombré” look (as seen in the video on the left), we recommend using a chilled glass or ice to help keep things cold.
- Density: to successfully layer a cocktail, it’s important to be aware of the general density/thickness of your ingredients. The higher density liquids like syrup or liqueur will always go on top while lower level ones such as wine goes at base. If you’re aiming for a libation with multiple layers, fill the glass first with the most dense liquid, adding lesser dense liquids one at a time to keep everything separated!
Purple Rain Empress 1908 Gin Limeade
Demo video shown to the right, recipe card details below.
Tools you’ll need for Empress 1908 cocktails:
- Spoon
- Pour spout (optional)
- Ice
- Cocktail glass or pitcher
- Cocktail recipe with liquid ingredients, varying in density
Citrus Empress Gin Punch Drinks
- Pictured in the video to the left are three different variations of our Empress Gin Punch, made with different citrus mixers to play on both color and flavor in these cocktails.
- Cocktail #1: mix 2 oz of Empress 1908 with 3 oz of sparkling lemon juice, garnish with lemon slice and sprig of mint.
- Cocktail #2: mix 2 oz of Empress 1908 with 3 oz of sparkling lime juice, garnish with lime slice and sprig of mint.
- Cocktail #3: mix 2 oz of Empress 1908 with 3 oz of Sanpellegrino Blood Orange juice, garnish with orange slice and sprig of mint.
chic & sophisticated layered martinis, with Empress 1908 gin
Details below for making our purple rain lime-aide with Empress 1908 gin
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Mixology
- Cuisine: Cocktails
Ingredients
- 2 oz Empress gin
- 3 oz Trader Joe’s sparkling limeade with juice of 1/2 lemon squeezed into it
- ice
- lime slice
- mint
- 1 bottle of Empress gin (25 oz)
- I bottle of Trader Joe’s sparkling limeade (33 oz)
- 3 lemons
- ice
- lime slices
- mint leaves
Instructions
- Place gin in glass
- Add limeade and ice, stir
- Garnish with lime slice and mint leaves
- Pour gin in 3 qt or larger pitcher
- Add limeade and juice from three lemons
- Add ice
- Garnish with lime slices and mint leaves