Empress 1908 Indigo Gin Fizz

In celebration of World Gin Day, I've created a gin cocktail that takes inspiration form the classic Singapore Sling, but constructs the cocktail in layers, similar to the Tequila Sunrise.

I've taken the gin, cherry, Cointreau, fruit juice, lime juice, and bitters from the Singapore Sling, with some modifications, and added soda water for some lift.

I've always liked the layered orange and red combination of the orange juice and Grenadine in a Tequila Sunrise so I've brought that layered look into this cocktail by layering the juice and cherry syrup. Since we're celebrating World Gin Day, I've topped this refreshing cocktail off with Empress 1908 Indigo Gin to create a colourful layered drink.

The Singapore Sling

The Singapore Sling was invented in 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The Singapore Sling is an official International Bartenders Association (IBA) cocktail, meaning it's one of the most requested cocktails. While there are many variations of the Singapore Sling, the official IBA recipe is below:

• 1 oz (30 ml) gin
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) cherry liqueur
• 1/4 oz (7.5 ml) Cointreau
• 1/4 oz (7.5 ml) DOM Bénédictine
• 4 oz (120 ml) fresh pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) fresh lime juice
• 1/3 oz (10 ml) Grenadine
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Now, I'm not making a Sling, so my ingredients will differ. I'll be using gin, Cointreau, and lime juice, but substituting the pineapple juice with orange juice, the cherry liqueur with cherry syrup, and the Angostura bitters with orange bitters.

The Tequila Sunrise

The Tequila Sunrise was originally invented in Phoenix, AZ, however, the version we all think of with the orange juice layered over the grenadine comes from Sausalito, CA, in the 1970s. As with the Singapore Sling, The Tequila Sunrise is also an IBA official cocktail, and its recipe contains:

• 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) tequila
• 3 oz (90 ml) fresh orange juice
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) grenadine syrup

I'm not making a Tequila Sunrise either, but I'm looking to recreate the same layered look with the orange and red layers. In this case, we'll be layering orange juice, cherry syrup, and gin.

Empress 1908 Indigo Gin Fizz Ingredients

Empress 1908 Indigo Gin: This is a unique gin from Victoria Distillers in Victoria, BC. As the name suggests, it has a beautiful Indigo colour that comes from the butterfly pea blossom used to create its unique flavour profile.

Cherry syrup: A concentrated, non-alcoholic syrup. It's quite thick with a very concentrated cherry flavour so you don't need much.

Cointreau: Cointreau is an orange flavoured liqueur. It's a premium or luxury brand name Triple Sec, but it's not as sweet or orange-forward as most Triple Sec and has more of a bittersweet, warm spicy flavour. 

If you do not have Cointreau, you can substitute any Triple Sec, but Triple Sec will be sweeter. In this cocktail, the orange juice and cherry syrup provide plenty of sweetness so the Cointreau will give it a better balance. That being said, if you prefer Triple Sec, use it. The cocktail will still turn out great.

Orange juice: Any good quality (not from concentrate) orange juice will do.

Fresh lime juice: Adds brightness to this cocktail.

Orange bitters: Adds some orange aromatics.

Soda water: A splash of soda to add a little lift.

Orange slice and a maraschino cherry for garnish: Add a slice of orange, and a good quality maraschino cherry such as Luxardo. Basically, any maraschino cherry that's not those bright red artificially coloured and flavoured cherries. I'm out of Luxardo so I'm using Bada Bing Cherries from Stonewall Kitchen.