The iconic singer behind dancefloor-filler Murder on the Dancefloor has come out with a colour-changing gin! This premium spirit was made by Sophie Ellis-Bextor in collaboration with Pink Marmalade Gin.
Arriving in style in a limited-edition bottle, Pink Marmalade Gin x Sophie Ellis-Bextor turns from a lilac shade to a subtle pink when you add tonic, mixers or ice. And it tastes as good as it looks – it was selected to be Craft Gin Club’s July 2021 Discovery Gin!
What exactly is a Discovery Gin? In addition to the Gin of the Month boxes Craft Gin Club sends its members, a panel of experts select a gin to satisfy drinkers with a taste for adventure.
This month, as well as featuring Sophie’s stunning gin on our online shop, we’ve got an incredibly special surprise in store!
This July tickets go on sale for our online Discovery Gin Disco, a virtual event which we’ll be hosting with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on September 9th, and we couldn’t be more excited to invite all our lovely Clubbers!
Sophie will be chatting all things gin, mixing up amazing cocktails - and treating us to an exclusive live performance!
Each ticket will include a full-size bottle of Pink Marmalade Gin x Sophie Ellis-Bextor, two Perfect G&Ts and four delicious cocktails. Grab your dancing shoes and your ticket today!
This event is now SOLD OUT!
July 2021 Discovery Gin
Pink Marmalade Gin x Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Tasting Notes
Expect bold citrus flavours on the nose and palate, complemented by the decidedly smooth notes of chamomile and almond. Kaffir lime leaf, pink peppercorns and salted marmalade add a subtle complexity to the finish.
Botanicals
Angelica Root, Dried Orange Zest, Pink Peppercorn, Coriander Seed, Dried Grapefruit Zest, Fresh Grapefruit Zest, Orris Root, Liquorice Root, Kaffir Lime Leaf, Juniper, Chamomile, Butterfly Pea Flower, Salted Pink Grapefruit Marmalade
42% ABV
Meet the Maker
Singer, songwriter and Kitchen Disco queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor just so happens to be a long-time lover of our favourite spirit. She smiles, “Gin became a big deal again when Oasis put it in their song Supersonic. The lyric goes, ‘I’m feeling supersonic, give me gin and tonic’. That’s when I first started drinking gin and tonics. I like the simplicity of a G&T, and how synonymous it is with good memories, like sunny afternoons or going on adventures – for some reason it seems to be something people often drink on planes.”
But it wasn’t until 2020 that a serendipitous series of events led Sophie to Pink Marmalade Gin. It all started during the first lockdown when Sophie’s husband Richard, bassist in the band The Feeling, suggested she should livestream gigs from their home.
“Our Kitchen Discos are a big part of what kept our heads above water during lockdown. We both felt weird – Richard and I are both musicians, so our diaries went from being filled with gigs for the year to having nothing on, and the news was pretty heavy. Our Kitchen Discos started out as something to distract us and keep us busy. After the first one I thought people might think we looked a bit silly, but everyone was really warm – I think a lot of people felt like doing something a bit silly as well.”
Between March 2020 and April 2021, Sophie, along with Richard and their five kids, put on 20 Kitchen Discos, giving countless music fans the chance to transport themselves virtually to a dazzling disco-ball world on Friday nights.
“When I started thinking about taking the Kitchen Discos on tour post-lockdown, a friend sent me a Facebook advert for a life-size disco horse made of resin, with a Ziggy Stardust stripe on his face and disco ball hooves. It was being sold by an events company called Pink Marmalade, and that’s how I first met Isobel.”
Isobel Harries, the co-founder of Pink Marmalade, says: “Because of COVID, all events had stopped, and we had this huge warehouse full of weird and wonderful props.”
Purveyors of parties, Isobel and her partners had also just launched Pink Marmalade Gin – a colour-changing juniper-forward craft spirit. As a ‘thank you’ for buying the horse, Isobel sent Sophie a bottle.
Sophie and Richard had a ritual of making a cocktail every Friday night after their kitchen disco, and when they tried this gin it was love at first sight.
“I think the fact that the gin changes colour is pretty gorgeous, so you’ve always got that visual treat. Seeing it go from that bluey-lilac colour to pink is a bit of fun, and it says ‘party’. And then it tastes as good as it looks!”
Sophie and Isobel decided to collaborate, and Pink Marmalade Gin x Sophie Ellis-Bextor was born, with a bespoke bottle created to make it extra special.
“We wanted something that showed it was a ‘drink-while-dancing’ type of gin, that makes you think of nights out and music and those sorts of happy memories. For me, a lot of the last year – from the gin to the Kitchen Discos – has really been about trying to lift people out of the feeling that they’re going through something quite heavy, and instead doing something a bit daft and fun and indulgent. I just think whatever it is that brings you that little bit of joy, run headlong towards it. Something as simple as a nice cocktail or dancing around to a song you love can be a tonic for the soul – pun intended!”
How to Drink Pink Marmalade Gin x Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Colour-Changing G&T
50ml Pink Marmalade Gin x Sophie Ellis-Bextor
200ml high-quality tonic water
Slice of pink grapefruit and sprig of rosemary, to garnish
Method
Combine your gin and tonic in a copa glass with plenty of ice. Gently stir and garnish to serve.
This gin is also brilliant in a Murder on the Dancefloor cocktail, created by Sophie herself! We’ll be providing everything you need to make this stunning tipple for our virtual gin disco.
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