Pink gin has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, but did you know that this trendy tipple has a surprisingly long heritage? What’s more, this delicate-looking drink actually has decidedly gritty origins. Meet Angostura Aromatic Bitters, the bar cart staple that we featured in our Craft Gin Club October 2019 Gin of the Month box and that’s made our favourite spirit blush for more than 200 years!
Here, we take a look back at the fascinating history behind the original recipe for pink gin cocktails, and provide two delicious recipes for using this magical little elixir at home today.
So, what’s the history of pink gin? Well, for the officers of the British Royal Navy at the start of the 19th century, a life spent at sea had one constant: gin. At a time when water often went off in the barrel, gin provided a microbe-free way with which to hydrate on long voyages. At the same time, with little available in the way of modern medicine, tonics and elixirs were used to cure or ease the symptoms of maladies from seasickness to tropical diseases.
It was when the two combined that a classic cocktail was born: pink gin!
In 1848, an enterprising navy doctor dashed a few drops of Angostura Aromatic Bitters – which had been created a few decades earlier by Dr J.G.B Siegert as a healing elixir for soldiers fighting in Venezuela – into a glass of gin.
What began as a quick aid for seasickness took on a life of its own, especially when the new drink made landfall. All things nautical were in style back in London, and Pink Gin quickly became the must-have cocktail.
Even King George V got in on the action, appointing Dr Siegert’s company his direct supplier of Angostura Aromatic Bitters!
Angostura Aromatic Bitters – the recipe unchanged – has been a staple of well-stocked bar carts ever since. Here’s now to make the classic Pink Gin cocktail that swept the nation, plus another recipe for a contemporary twist on the classic tipple - the Pinkers!
Pink Gin
60ml gin
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Lemon peel, to garnish
Fill a mixing jug or cocktail shaker with ice. Add your gin and bitters, then stir gently to combine, cool and dilute slightly. Strain your drink into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
The Pinkers
60ml gin
2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
100ml rosé sparkling wine, to top up
Red berries, to garnish
Add ice to a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Add gin and bitters, then stir to combine and cool. Strain into a copa glass, then top up with rosé sparkling wine. Garnish with red berries and serve.
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