indigo blue gin

Have you heard of 1908 Empress Gin? I hadn’t until I saw a post on Instagram by my friend, Beth McDonald. The second I saw her photo, I knew I needed to get some of that gin! The cocktail Beth posted is called the Q1908. It is named after the year the Fairmont Empress opened and the name of its bar, the Q Bar.

The amazing thing about the gin, besides that it tastes wonderful, is that it changes color depending on what is added to it, which changes the pH. For instance, adding citrus turns it purple, and adding tonic turns it pink.

You can learn all about the making of the gin and its history if you go to this link and click on the “Watch Now” tab of Our Story. It will be worth your time. I love the cocktail and I love the gin!

The recipe calls for the use of COUPE GLASS. What is a coupe glass? It’s basically an old-fashion champagne glass. The coupe is a stemmed glass featuring a broad, shallow bowl. Nowadays tall fluted glasses are preferred for champagne. But coupes are fun and retro. I know I have some of my grandmother’s etched coupes around the house, but couldn’t lay my hands on one. So I used a wine glass from the same etched pattern. Darn it, I need to find those glasses!

Here is a photo of an etched coupe, it’s more intricate than my grandmother’s design, but you get the idea.

Q1908 Cocktail

• 2 ounces Empress 1908 gin
• 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce simple syrup
• 3/4 ounce egg white (from 1 medium egg)

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake briefly to mix ingredients.

Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.

Strain into a coupe glass and enjoy. As you can see by the photo below, I did!

Serves 1

Recipe Source: Q Bar at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria British Columbia