If you’re in the United States, you only have one option when buying a blue color changing gin- and it comes from Canada! Even so, Empress 1908 Gin is moderately priced, good in cocktails and widely available.
While it’s not a bad choice, it seems to be the only choice without ordering a bottle from Europe. There are many, many blue gins available in the UK, but shipping to the US drives the price of the typical bottle to well over a hundred dollars. That’s a lot of money spent on shipping rather than gin and that’s for a gin you may or may not like.
Until American producers start offering a good-tasting, well-priced blue gin, we can make our own blue gin at home quickly and easily. GinBoss does it often and can show ways to make blue gin that you can use for color changing cocktails, plus a fun extra. Let’s make Blue Gin!
How do I Make My Own Color Changing Gin?
You can make blue gin for color changing cocktails with two simple and inexpensive products. The first way is to steep Butterfly Pea Flowers or Tea in Gin for several hours until it reaches the desired shade. Alternatively, you can color your gin blue instantly with drops from the concentrate of the same flower.
These 2 products are not easy to find in every grocery store, but they are widely available online. Here is the tea I bought (link) and a link to the B’LURE drops. I also tested both of these products in ice cubes and will share the results below!
Now before we get into the methods of my testing, let’s answer two common questions…
What is Blue Gin?
Blue Gin is simply a gin that has been infused with purplish Butterfly Pea Flowers after the distilling process. Those flowers contain a pigment called anthocyanin which turns the gin blue.
It is all natural and does not greatly affect the flavor of the gin. As mentioned earlier, we don’t have a lot of options in the US, except for Empress 1908.
How does Blue Gin Taste?
Blue gin does not have a berry flavor as some might assume. If you are making your own blue gin, it will mostly depend on the brand and style of gin you use because the tea is so faintly floral.
GinBoss Tip: Try Brockman’s Gin if you’re looking for a gin with a good berry flavor.
Making Blue Gin at Home (2 Different Ways)
When making blue gin, I like to use one that isn’t too complex or flashy in flavor. Most importantly, it needs be a gin I like. Boodles Gin has a classic gin flavor which mixes well in many cocktails or is nice on the rocks.
Following are two easy and reliable methods to make Gin Blue and it works with other clear spirits as well.
Steep Dried Butterfly Pea Petals (Tea)
Simply pour off the amount of gin you want to make and add the dried petals of the butterfly pea flower. I found it easily online (link to price check) and bought it in the form of butterfly pea tea.
For my demonstration, I poured a cup of gin into a tall glass and added about 8 dried petals. Typically it’s best to let it steep overnight but I was delighted to see the change in color after just one hour!
You can watch the time-lapse video below to see what happens over the first hour.
The second way to make your own color-changing blue gin is by using a liquid product that comes with an eyedropper.
Butterfly Pea Flower Drops
If you don’t have a lot of time or don’t feel like infusing tea into your gin, blue drops are the way to go. It only takes moments to make a blue drink with B’lure (link to pricing). It’s an an all-natural product from Australia made from sugar, butterfly pea flower and water.
B’LURE comes in a 3.4 oz bottle with a dropper and a bottle will give you between 20-30 cocktails. You can also use it as a natural food coloring.
Color a Cocktail with Butterfly Pea Flower Drops
When I made a G and T with Blure, I found I needed to add more drops than the bottle suggested. In the following video you can see how the gin looked after 4 drops and how it was after I added 6 more.
Butterfly Pea Tea vs B’lure
B’lure is much faster but I preferred the results that the tea gave me for coloring my gin. It was the most consistent giving the best color with the smallest amount of product.
B’lure must be refrigerated after opening and has a best before range of about 30 months, but that’s before you open it. The tea is shelf stable and can be stored in your pantry for a couple of years.
SERVING GUIDE: How Much to Use B’LURE vs. Tea
| Serving Size | Butterfly Pea Flower Tea | B’lure Drops |
| 2 oz (1/4 cup) | 1-2 petals | 4-5 drops |
| 4 oz (1/2 cup) | 2-4 petals | 1/3 oz |
| 8 oz (1 cup) | 5-8 petals | 2/3 oz |
| 16 oz (2 cups) | 11-18 | 1 1/3 oz |
| 750 ml bottle | 18-25 | 2 oz |
| 1 liter bottle | 25-33 | 2 3/4 |
Should I Make or Buy Blue Gin?
Both buying and making blue are good options so it really depends on the factors of time and cost.
Certainly buying or ordering a bottle of Empress 1908 is easy enough. You should be able to find it locally or have it delivered to your door by companies like Drizzly or… I’m based in the Northeast and find that a bottle of Empress 1908 costs in the range of $36.99 and $40.99. In Canada, the range is $49.95-$53.99 CD. So, if that fits your budget, you’re all set.
We do want to point out that the big advantage of making your own blue gin is that you get to choose a flavor profile you love. It could be a traditional London Dry variety or a brand with a particular selection of botanicals to reach your mixing goal.
There’s also nothing wrong with using what you already have on hand to use up a spirit that’s collecting dust. Plus, it can be sugar free and works with vodka too!
Make Blue Ice Cubes For Color Changing Cocktails
One of the nicest thing about a drinking gin and tonic is that it’s a sipper. It’s a relaxing experience that signals that your busy day is done. And when you use blue ice cubes, you are rewarded with a slow release of color that changes like a sunset.
So, there a few ways to make blue ice cubes and found them all easy.
- Drop in some petals. I filled an ice tray and dropped in a flower or two in each compartment. It appeared that each ice cube’s color saturation was a little different but it turned out not to matter and the range of color gave it interest. The petals were freed as the cubes melted and this turned out to be very attractive.
2. Make Blue Tea I steeped 8 flower petals in a cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. I let it cool down a little and then poured it into my ice tray. I left in a petal or two to see and it was nice with or without. I really loved the jewel like sapphire blue appearance of these cubes.
3. Use B’lure drops If you want just a couple of cubes, fill tray with water and use 2-3 drops in each compartment. Don’t forget to give it a little stir. Alternatively, the bottle instructs to mix 2⁄3oz B’Lure and 1 cup water if you want to make the entire tray. The cubes were a fainter blue but the color could be adjustable with more or less product.
In the end, I will most like use the petal or tea method if I have the time and reserve the B’lure for cocktails.
Making Color Changing Drinks Is Easy and Fun!
No matter which path you choose, it’s easy to create your own color changing drinks and there’s no reason not to!
It could be gin, vodka, tequila, or rum! Any clear spirit will cooperate . Or, use blue ice cubes to get a beautiful slow release of color in your basic cocktail.
Don’t forget that you’re not limited to alcohol. Why not drop a few blue ice cubes in your next lemonade for a special twist?
