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Road test: Ink gin changes colour when mixed with tonic

This is the weirdest gin in the world. Not only is it a lustrous blue/purple, but it changes colour in the glass.

Dry Gin by Ink
Dry Gin by Ink

What is it? The weirdest gin in the world. Not only is it a lustrous blue/purple, but it changes colour in the glass.

Very Willy Wonka. Is it made in a lab? No, in a copper pot still at a craft distillery near Byron Bay. It’s “handmade”.

What’s in it? The grain spirit is infused with 14 botanicals from around the world, including juniper berries, lemon myrtle, licorice root and cardamom. The colour comes from flowers of the butterfly pea, which is also considered an aphrodisiac (its scientific name, Clitoria ternatea, hints why).

So how does it change colour? The butterfly pea extract is pH-sensitive, so when you add something acidic — like tonic water and lemon — it goes a lovely pink colour. Cheers.

And for an encore, it turns yellow! What? Oh, I see. Urrrgh.

$80 for a 700ml bottle; inkgin.com

Ross Bilton
Ross BiltonThe Weekend Australian Magazine

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/food-drink/road-test-ink-gin-changes-colour-when-mixed-with-tonic/news-story/00cd127fac8008684cc35051a3cb79da