Spring Fever Cocktail

A visually stunning gin cocktail featuring Empress 1908 purple gin with fresh lemon juice, honey syrup, and grapefruit soda. The split pour technique creates a beautiful color separation between the shaken base and the floated gin on top.

smart_display Published 2020-05-25 download Extracted 2026-04-04

5m Prep

5m Total

1 Servings

gin cocktail spring citrus lemon grapefruit honey no-cook american easy color-changing craft-gin refreshing float-technique

Ingredients

60 ml Empress 1908 Gin (split: 30 ml shaken, 30 ml floated)
22.5 ml fresh lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
15 ml honey syrup (1:1 ratio, equal parts honey and warm water, stirred and cooled)
90 ml grapefruit soda
1 slice lemon wheel (thinly sliced)
as needed ice

Steps

1

Add 30 ml (1 oz) of Empress 1908 Gin to a cocktail shaker along with the fresh lemon juice and honey syrup.

Tip: Reserve the other 30 ml of gin for the float at the end - this creates the stunning color separation.

~1 min
2

Add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.

~1 min
3

Fill a large wine goblet with ice.

Tip: A large wine glass works best - it showcases the layered colors.
4

Tuck a thin lemon wheel between the ice and the inside wall of the glass as garnish.
5

Strain the shaken mixture into the glass over the ice.
6

Gently pour in the grapefruit soda (approximately 90 ml / 3 oz).
7

Float the remaining 30 ml (1 oz) of Empress gin on top by pouring slowly over the back of an upside-down bar spoon.

Tip: The float works because gin has lower specific gravity than the sugary soda below. Pour very slowly for the best layered color effect.

~1 min

Nutrition (per serving)

185

Calories

14g

Carbs

Cultural Context

The Spring Fever cocktail showcases Empress 1908 Gin, a distinctive purple gin from Victoria, British Columbia. Its color comes from butterfly pea blossom tea and changes to pink when acidic lemon juice is added. The split pour technique creates visual layering based on specific gravity differences between the liquids.