Enjoy Spritz Season with Empress 1908 - Empress 1908 Gin (2024)

FAQs

What is so special about Empress Gin? ›

Distilled in copper-pot stills, Empress 1908 Gin contains eight signature botanicals, including exotic butterfly pea blossom, discovered in a tea blend served at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C. These blossoms impart a warm herbal earthiness, soft texture, and deep indigo colour.

Empress 1908 Gin is all-natural, and contains no added sugar. Learn more about our unique botanical recipe here for our Empress Indigo Gin and here for Empress Elderflower Rose Gin.

The perfect compliment to Empress 1908's premium flavour is mixing with exceptional tonics! Classic tonic is our go-to, but it's easy to take it up a notch with the following from Fever-Tree & Fentimans!

The palate has a hint of rose early. If you're looking for an overtly floral gin— this isn't it. Ripe, boiled grapefruit, resinous juniper cones take hold mid-palate. Towards the finish, earthy coriander, green tea, and bulky, dry cinnamon (with no red hot character) stew on the edges of the palate.

The best place to store gin is in a cool, dark cupboard or shelf out of direct sunlight if you can't keep it in the fridge or freezer, and it should be fine. More importantly, though, gin should never be served at room temperature!

​Does gin go off? Gin is a very stable spirit and if unopened and stored correctly it will retain its quality and flavour. How long can you keep gin once opened? Once opened, gin can be stored for years without going bad, unless you keep it in an unsealed bottle next to a radiator or in direct sunlight.

The History of Empress Gin

Victoria Distillers has added to the traditional botanicals by blending black tea (served at the landmark hotel) and butterfly pea blossom. Butterfly pea blossom is an exotic herb that complements the citrus notes in gin and imparts a spicy herbal note, providing a natural color of indigo.

In reality, the addition of butterfly pea blossoms late in the distilling process lends Empress 1908 Gin its intriguing violet tone. Commonly used in Thailand for coloring fun desserts and beverages, the Southeast Asian butterfly pea flower has been popping up in co*cktails here and there for a couple of years now.

Crafted by the sea. For more than 14 years, Victoria Distillers has been producing some of Canada's finest handmade spirits. Our unique waterfront location in Sidney, British Columbia, houses the copper pot stills that produce our range of spirits – most notably, our award-winning gins.

What can I mix with Empress Gin to change color? ›

The Colour Can Change To Blue OR Pink.

They're red when they're acidic, purple when they're neutral, and blue when they're basic. So if you add acid, say lemon juice, to Empress Gin, it will become a beautiful red-pink colour. And if you add something basic to it, like cucumber, it will turn blue.

Texas-based spirits company Milestone Brands has acquired Victoria Distillers, producer of Empress 1908, the number one super-premium gin in Canada.

Our flagship product, Empress 1908 co*cktail Gin is a staple in any bartender's repertoire. Once known as Victoria Premium co*cktail Gin, this recipe has become a well-known favourite over the years. Our distillers carefully designed the spirit to play well in a multitude of classics and reinvented favourites.

Watenshi Gin is recognized as the world's most expensive gin and the first gin to be distilled purely from Japanese botanicals.

Anno Extreme 95 Gin packs more punch and flavour, drop for drop, than any other spirit in the world. Being the world's strongest gin - just a 5ml measure gives you a full flavoured G&T with 75% less alcohol than a 50ml measure of 40% ABV gin. Comes in a presentation box with a measuring beaker included.