If you don’t like bitters, this might not be the drink for you. Enjoyed by the British Royal Navy in the 19th century, this cocktail was originally taken at room temperature, which I bet opens it up even more. Most people, me included, enjoy it chilled these days, but even cold and a little diluted, it’s still quite complex. That’s impressive considering it’s only got two ingredients.
Bracingly bitter, pink gin marries the largely herbal notes of gin with the largely spicy notes of Angostura Bitters, and the union is one that was built to last. There is an incredible amount of depth here. Given the cocktail’s British roots, I chose to go with a strong London Dry gin. No. 3 is a delicious and unique entry into that genre, with an incredible emphasis on juniper even by gin standards. It’s got strong pine flavors and works very well with the Angostura.
Everyone should be able to make this one at home. If you don’t have a bottle of decent gin and a bottle of Angostura on your home bar, well … you don’t really have a home bar! They’re both essentials and neither is expensive.
Give this one a shot. Start at four dashes of bitters (or even less), take a sip, and add a few more if you think you could stand a little more bitterness. I think you’ll find that it’s a unique celebration of two delicious, flavorful cocktail ingredients.
This article is a modified and enhanced version of a post that ran on my nightly cocktail blog, DrinkShouts.
The Pink Gin Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
- Bar spoon
- Cocktail Strainer
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz. London dry gin
- 4-6 Â Heavy dashes Angostura Bitters
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a pint glass over lots of ice (you want the dilution) and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. No garnish.
