Pink gin fizz

This pink gin fizz is brightly colored and delicately flavored, gently aromatic and not too sweet. Perfect whether you are specifically looking for a pink cocktail or just want to try something a little different.

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When we were living in Australia I got much more into drinking gin than I had for a while. Gin and tonic used to be a traditional pre-dinner drink when we had dinner with my grandfather years ago, but over time, it has been less of a go-to.

The Australian weather certainly helped it feel perfect for G&Ts, whether plain or adapted like my St Germain gin and tonic. Similar to the UK, Australia has been seeing a boom in local gin producers recently. This led to some really good options to choose from.

Quite a few use local aromatics, like wattleseed, myrtles and finger lime to play around with the flavor profiles. (If you're interested, I found the Gin Queen wrote this article explaining many in more detail.) Personally I really like more aromatic gins and I found a few favorites while we were there. 

While I haven't found Aussie gins since returning, I have at least found some favorite British ones and made use of them a little more than before. This bright variation on a gin fizz is a lovely choice that's so easy to make, too.

What is a gin fizz?

A gin fizz is a combination of gin, lemon, simple syrup and soda water, plus often egg white for a foamy top. If you think that sounds a little familiar, it may be because it's essentially a gin sour with added bubbles. Or else a little like a Tom Collins but made slightly differently. Plus the latter doesn't ever have egg white.

Sours are a style of cocktail that have been around for probably longer than anyone can really pinpoint. They are spirit heavy, with some citrus, usually lemon, and simple syrup (or sugar and water).

Some stories suggest they were created based on sailor rations. Lime or lemons to help prevent scurvy and, possibly, to water down the spirit to save the sailors drinking too much too fast.

The fizz is a more recent variation that lightens up the the drink by diluting it slightly, but only a little. This is not quite as long a drink as a Tom Collins typically is, so it's still relatively spirit-forward. But this means you really get to appreciate the flavors.

How is it pink?

As you can imagine, there's more than one way to make a drink pink. Sometimes that involves a colored/flavored spirit, like my kir imperial with raspberry liqueur/chambord. In others, it's some muddled fruit or fruit juice, like my pomegranate margarita. 

The other way is by switching any simple syrup used to a pink one, like my rhubarb southside cocktail and here, using grenadine in place of simple syrup. I've used homemade grenadine as the flavor and ingredients are better than most bought versions, and it's easy to make, too. It adds a lovely bright color to this cocktail, as well as a gentle flavor.

Some versions of this drink use pink gin or add in sparkling wine (and maybe make it rose to add some more color) but I have to say I really like it this way. Though it can always be fun to try other ways and compare, of course.

What type of gin is best?

With a drink like this with only a few ingredients, you are going to taste the gin, so make sure you choose accordingly. You don't have to go for your most expensive one, of course, but a good London dry or Old Tom gin would be great. And different styles will give you a slightly different end drink.  

I’m excited to be sharing this as part of a special Valentine’s event organized by Julie from The Little Kitchen in support of Cookies for Kids' Cancer, now in it's 6th year (I've joined a few before). Cancer is the #1 cause of death of children by disease in the U.S. There are 40,000 U.S. children actively battling cancer right now. The National Cancer Institute’s budget for childhood cancer is less than 4%.

Our goal is to raise at least $3000 for this cause, in part as OXO, Mediavine and Dixie Crystals have each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to $3000! That means when we raise $1, it turns into $4! Thank you to so many of you who have already donated, please help us reach our goal so we can get the full matching donations and help us make an even huge difference! Donate here today.

This pink gin fizz is easy to make, with a lovely color and flavor. It's light, bright and perfect for so many occasions. Cheers!

Try these other easy cocktails:

• Sloe gin fizz (similar but different to this - made with sloe gin and not shaken, easy and tasty)
• Calvados sour(a lovely apple-y, fresh sour)
• Blackberry bourbon smash (a lovely fruity but still relatively strong mix)
• Plus get more cocktail recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.  In many locations, you can have wine, spirits and more delivered to your door with Drizly.

See all these other tasty Valentine's Day inspired ideas by those participating:

Heart Shaped Thumbprint Cookies from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies from Melissa of Persnickety Plates
Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls Ice Cream from Rose of Rose Bakes
Salted Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookie Bars from Jessica of A Kitchen Addiction
Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake Brownies from Julie of Back To My Southern Roots
Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry Latte from Lisa of Taste Cook Sip
Chocolate Valentine's Day Cake for Two from Faith of An Edible Mosaic
Chocolate Petit Fours from Carlee of Cooking With Carlee
Iced Sugar Cookies from Nina of Crazy for Cookies and More
Valentine's Fudge from Raquel of Organized Island
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake from Stefanie of Stef's Eats and Sweets
Flourless Chunky Peanut Butter Blossoms from Colleen of Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Valentine's Day Oatmeal M&M Cookies from Kelly of Kelly Lynn's Sweets and Treats
Gluten free peanut butter cookies from Holly of A Baker's House
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Pink Buttercream Frosting from Elaine of Small Farm Big Life
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies from Courtney of Courtney's Sweets
Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes from Lisa of Blogghetti
Valentine's Day M&M Cookie Bars from Jaclyn of Crayons & Cravings
Soft Iced Pumpkin Cookies from Laura of Untwisted Vintage
Guava Pink Peppercorn Margaritas from Courtney of Cook Like a Champion
Sugar Cookie Cups from Kelsey of Dance Around the Kitchen
Chewy Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt from Lisa of Garlic & zest
Shortbread Hearts of Love from TammyJo of The Chocolate Cult
Valentine Sugar Cookies from Gwynn of Swirls of Flavor
Rhubarb Raspberry Tart from Betsy of The JavaCupcake Blog
Sugar Cookie Cups from Kelsey of Dance Around the Kitchen
Creamed Chipped Beef from Rebekah of Kitchen Gidget
Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies from Becca of The Salted Cookie
Star Wars Grogu Heart Cookies to Support Cookies for Kids Cancer from Jenn of justJENN recipes
Peanut Butter Buckeyes from Nicole of For the Love of Food
Heart Meringues Recipe from Jennifer of The Rebel Chick
Rye Bourbon Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Erin of The Spiffy Cookie

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