Looking to make a refreshing Purple Haze Drink recipe?
Our quick & easy Purple Cocktail is a colourful and elegant mixed drink, perfect for gin lovers looking for an eye-catching tipple.
Our homemade Purple Haze Cocktail features Empress Gin, Chambord Liqueur, cranberry and lemon juice and a splash of tonic.
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What Is A Purple Haze Drink?
“Purple Haze Drink” is a popular name for a variety of purple-coloured cocktails.
Typically, the recipes include vodka or gin with a fruit liqueur and possibly a splash of soda or tonic water.
There aren’t a lot of purple-coloured liqueurs or spirits at the bar so a little colour chemistry is required to get the drink’s signature hue. It helps to grab a colour wheel from your Grade 8 art class to combine different amounts of red and blue liquids to achieve the desired attractive violet colour.
Original Purple Haze Drink Recipe
Peter Janson is credited as the inventor of the original purple haze drink. He competed in the World Cocktail Championships in Vienna in 1993 with his new, tangy recipe. The cocktail was given its name not only because of its eye-catching appearance but as an homage to Peter Janson’s favourite Jimi Hendrix song Purple Haze.
Our Purple Cocktail recipe differs from Janson’s original. If you want to try to make variations of the Purple Haze Cocktail you can prepare the original iteration below, which was decorated with lavender and served in a coupe.
- 2 cl Citron Vodka
- 1 cl De Kuyper Parfait Amour
- 2 cl Chablis
- 1 cl Monin Grenadine
- 1 cl freshly squeezed lemon juice
Purple Haze Drink Recipe Ingredients
Our homemade Purple Haze Drink is made with quality ingredients:
- Empress Gin: the award-winning indigo coloured gin creates a purple cocktail when mixed with red liquids.
- Chambord: a red coloured French raspberry liqueur.
- Cranberry Cocktail: sweetened cranberry juice helps balance the tartness of the citrus juice.
- Lemon Juice: only use freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can taste the difference when someone incorrectly muddles cocktails with store bought citrus juice.
- Tonic Water: adds a sparkle to the drink and additional layer of sweetness.
- Citrus Wheel: garnish with a lime or lemon wheel.
Purple Haze Cocktail Recipe Tips
This Purple Haze Drink recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 10 minutes.
We love serving the refreshing drink on hot days in the summer at family barbecues, cottage happy hour and on a sun-soaked patio.
Our recipe below is listed for one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
We suggest serving the cocktail in a rocks glass with whole ice cubes.
This purple cocktail is fun to make with friends, so much so that we like to incorporate it into a fun drink competition at parties. Since the cocktails colour is achieved by colour mixing you can provide all the ingredients to your guests and have them build the drink by adding their own proportions of each liquid. The person whose cocktail has the best purple colour gets a prize!
Travel to Taste the World’s Best Gins
There’s no better way to familiarize yourself with the best Purple Haze cocktail recipe then by planning a vacation to visit the world’s best gin distilleries.
The world’s most famous gins can be found in the United Kingdom as well as neighbouring Ireland. The booming gin trend has produced a high demand for premium gins produced by distilleries in Canada and America.
We’ve visited a handful of gin distilleries in Britain as well as a chic gin cocktail bar at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taipei. The gin craze has officially travelled from England to North America, Asia and beyond!
In Scotland we visited Edinburgh Gin for a tour and tasting before enjoying a road trip to the Isle of Islay, which is best known for its famous Islay whisky distilleries. One of the best things to do on the Isle of Islay is pay a visit to Bruichladdich Distillery, which produces its signature whisky as well as Botanist Gin.
In Brighton we visited a tiny micro-distillery called Brighton Gin, one of the best things to do in Brighton for G&T fans. We also stayed at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire to sip our way through the jaw-dropping home of renowned Bombay Sapphire.
Looking to plan the ultimate road trip of Canada to discover the best gins?
Our favourite Canadian gins include Ungava in Quebec, Tawse and Dillon’s in Niagara, Muskoka Brewery in Ontario cottage country, Kinsip House of Fine Spirits in Prince Edward County, North of 7 in Ottawa, Dixon’s in Guelph, Eau Claire Distillery in Alberta, Blackfox in Saskatoon, Ironworks Gin in Nova Scotia and Long Table Distillery in British Columbia.
Best Selling Gin
Gin has certainly enjoyed a boom in popularity at cocktail bars in recent years. You’ll find fantastic premium gins distilled from Scotland to Muskoka. Here are some of the world’s best selling gins and some of our local small batch favourites:
- Gordon’s Gin: The world’s top selling gin brand is owned by Diageo. The brand’s pink iteration has undoubtedly helped to fuel its success. Gordon’s has also unveiled a line of new innovative products including two “ultra-low-alcohol” pre-mixed gin and tonic sparkling beverages and Gordon’s Gin-infused popsicles.
- Bombay Sapphire Gin: Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire is one of the worlds best-selling gins. Bombay Sapphire kicked off a new limited edition range with the launch of a gin inspired by summer in the English countryside.
- Tanqueray: Diageo-owned Tanqueray launched a new marketing campaign developed to shift consumers’ attention from “gimmicks” to flavour and unveiled a range of bottled ready-to-drink gin and tonics, made with its London Dry Gin and Flor de Sevilla Distilled Gin.
- Beefeater Gin: Pernod Ricard’s flagship gin brand is Beefeater. The brand launched strawberry-flavoured Beefeater Pink in 2018 and further expanded its portfolio with the debut of a new blood orange-flavoured gin.
- Seagram’s: Pernod Ricard-owned Seagram’s is a top seller having recently purchased Italian brand Malfy Gin.
- Hendrick’s Gin: Opened the door to its £13 million Gin Palace in 2018, allowing the brand to double its capacity to two million cases annually. The Scottish brand has also added to its portfolio with the launch of the limited edition summer solstice-inspired Midsummer Solstice gin.
- Edinburgh Gin: This craft distillery in Edinburgh produces a parade of flavoured gin bottles including rhubarb & ginger gin, raspberry gin, bramble & honey gin, black currant & anise, strawberry & pink peppercorn and pomegranate & rose.
- Dillon’s Distillery: This Beamsville producer makes small batch gins including rose gin, cherry gin and strawberry gin.
- Aviation Gin: is an American gin by Ryan Reynolds.
- Muskoka Brewery: This Ontario craft brewery produces a London Dry and spicy pink peppercorn gin.
Empress Gin Perfect For A Purple Cocktail
We suggest using Empress Gin to make this Purple Cocktail as it has a unique indigo colour. When you mix blue and red liquids they create a purple or violent colour.
Empress Gin is crafted in Victoria, British Columbia and is recognized as Canada’s most famous gin.
The spirit’s brand name is an homage to the Fairmont Empress Hotel’s High Tea, which serves a butterfly pea blossom loose leaf. The exotic herb balances the traditional citrus notes of gin with warm herbal earthiness, giving the gin its natural indigo colour.
Empress Gin is perhaps most famously used by craft cocktail experts for its colourful theatre. When the indigo coloured gin is mixed with tonic water it transforms into a purple or violet drink.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Purple Haze Drink soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Also Like These Gin Recipes…
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- Negroni Sour Cocktail
- Summer Strawberry Negroni Cocktail
- Aperol Negroni Cocktail
- Fresh Sage Gin Cocktail
- Gin Basil Smash Cocktail
- Liquore Strega Saffron Yellow Gin Cocktail
- Negroni Spritz Cocktail
- Clarified Gin and Milk Punch Cocktail
- Italian Prosecco and Gin Cocktail
How To Make A Purple Haze Drink
Purple Haze Gin Cocktail
Equipment
- Jigger
- Rocks glass
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Empress 1908 Gin
- 0.5 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
- 1 oz Cranberry Juice
- 0.5 oz Lime or Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Tonic Water
- Lemon or Lime Wheel garnish
Instructions
- Pour the Empress 1908 Gin, Chambord Liqueur, cranberry juice and lime/lemon juice into an ice filled cocktail shaker.
- Shake well for 30 seconds until cold. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice.
- Top with tonic and garnish with a lime or lemon wheel.
Nutrition
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