The Story Behind The Purple Gin Coco

What gives this cocktail its lovely lavender hue? The gin is infused with butterfly pea tea. This color can be achieved by squeezing a dropper of butterfly pea flower tea into a glass of clear liquid, which turns it blue; once an acid such as lime juice is added, voila! — violet.

If turning your cocktails purple sounds laborious, you'll be pleased to know you can buy gin that is already infused with the color-changing ingredient. A popular bottle is Empress Gin, which is used here.

This cocktail impresses guests beyond its looks, too, thanks to hints of toasted coconut, citrus, and juniper.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Butterfly Pea Tea Gin
  • ¼ ounce orange liqueur
  • ¼ ounce toasted coconut syrup (recipe below)
  • 2 drops orange bitters

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
  2. Stir then strain over ice into rocks glass.
  3. Garnish with orange peel.

Rate This Recipe:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
(33 votes)

Yield: 1
Updated: 2023-10-10

Toasted Coconut Syrup Ingredients

  • ½ cup coconut flakes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water

Toasted Coconut Syrup Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Spread coconut flakes on a baking sheet, evenly.
  3. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the flakes start to brown.
  4. Remove from oven and let cool.
  5. Once coconut flakes are at room temperature, add to a medium saucepan
  6. with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over medium heat.
  7. Simmer until sugar dissolves.
  8. Strain out coconut solids and cool syrup before use.
  9. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
The Purple Gin Coco Recipe

Related Reads & Recipes

Learn About Gin

· Gin 101

· Our always updated list of the best Gin to buy right now!

More Gin Recipes To Explore

The Green New Deal Recipe

The Green New Deal Recipe:
Learn to make the Green New Deal, a cocktail available exclusively at Bricolage, a Vietnamese gastropub in Brooklyn, NYC.

The Gojira Recipe

The Gojira Recipe:
When developing this cocktail for a Japanese restaurant in New York, Fred Dexheimer was inspired by the classic Southside, a refreshing gin-based drink .

Parisian Night Suit

Parisian Night Suit:
If you're someone who holds onto spritz season with a tight grip but loves the holidays, the Parisian Night Suit is the cocktail for you.

The London Fog

The London Fog:
The London Fog — no, not the latte — is a "hair of the dog" cocktail consisting of just gin and absinthe. Check out the recipe here!

The Gin Kombucha Tea Punch Recipe

The Gin Kombucha Tea Punch Recipe:
With a mix of aromatic Early Grey tea and funky, fruity kombucha, this lightly-sparkling gin punch is a can't-miss crowd pleaser.

Milady’s Big Apple Martini

Milady’s Big Apple Martini:
Combining 4 types of alcohol, the Big Apple Martini packs a punch with bright, acidic apple blending with oaky warmth. Get the recipe here!