Color Changing Gin Cocktail

Published 7/6/2024 • Updated 7/16/2024 Get ready for this crowd-pleasing summer cocktail recipe we’ve been making on repeat for the past few months! You’ll combine a yummy herbal tea with gin and simple syrup, pour it into cocktail glasses and then finish off with a squeeze of lemon (this is the secret sauce!), which causes the drink to change from a purple to a pink color. It’s not a Harry Potter spell, but you bet your friends and family will think it’s just as cool 😋 If you are looking for more cocktail recipes to serve alongside these gorgeous gin cocktails, check out our Hibiscus Arnold Palmer Drink, Honey Greyhound Cocktails, or one of these Sex on the Beach Slushies. FUN.

Unicorn Gin Cocktail Ingredients

Blackberry-raspberry hibiscus tea by Bigelow: we recommend this specific tea for the most drastic color changing drink. Any herbal tea will technically work, but this tea is vibrant in color, which means it will create a more noticeable change in color with the squeeze of a lemon. Gin: the higher quality gin, the better it will taste! We love Prairie Organic Gin 😀 Simple syrup: feel free to use store-bought or make your own with our recipe! Orange bitters: any citrus bitters will do. Lemon wedges: don’t skip these! It’s what will change your drink color from purple to pink. Mint: fresh mint leaves make for a gorgeous garnish.

What makes it change color?

Herbal tea can change color when citrus is added because the citrus increases the tea’s acidity. This changes the pH levels of the tea’s ingredients, and can result in a color change of the tea itself when it’s a vibrant enough color.

Choosing the Best Tea

When it comes to choosing tea for this drink, you need to make sure it’s an herbal tea since that’s what causes the chemical reaction that changes the color of the liquid. BUT we will say, it’s best to go with a vibrant colored tea like raspberry or blackberry or hibiscus tea. And that’s exactly why we chose this Bigelow raspberry blackberry hibiscus tea — it makes for a vibrant colored drink and also the most drastic color change with the squeeze of a lemon. It really will change from purple to pink like in these photos!

Frozen Cocktails

Wine SlushiesFrozen MargaritaFroséFrozen MojitosSex on the Beach SlushiesPiña ColadaFrozen Strawberry MargaritaFrozen Mango MargaritaStrawberry Daiquiri

Make it Non-Alcoholic

This is a great drink to serve if you want something that can be easily accommodated for an NA option. Simply omit the gin or substitute 1:1 for another clear liquid like sparkling water. Just avoid any colored liquid because it will impact the color changing quality of this drink!