Empress - 1908 Indigo Gin

Empress 1908 Indigo Gin is produced by Victoria Distillers in Sidney, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. The name refers to the year the Empress Hotel opened in Victoria, and the gin was developed in partnership with the hotel.

Its deep indigo colour comes from butterfly pea blossom tea, blended into the spirit after distillation. The tea is sourced from the Fairmont Empress. When tonic or citrus juice is added, the colour shifts to pink or purple.

The botanicals are juniper, grapefruit peel, ginger root, rose, coriander and black tea, which adds a subtle tannic structure. The base spirit is made from Canadian grain. Juniper is present but not dominant. It is used in a gin and tonic or a Negroni, and can be sipped over ice.