Creating vibrant and colourful cocktails with natural ingredients provides a stunning, healthy, and sustainable alternative to artificial dyes and syrups. It’s worth giving them a go!
Fresh ingredients have the most vibrant colour. Colour can be extracted in various ways, such as juicing, muddling, infusing, or blending. These different methods produce different intensities of colour and flavour so it’s essential to get the balance right. Here are some interesting options for vibrant colours:
Red and Pink
Beetroot: A small amount of beet juice can turn your cocktails red or pink, depending on the dilution. Beetroot juice pairs well with earthy spirits like gin or vodka.
Hibiscus tea: Hibiscus tea has a vibrant red colour and a tart, floral flavour. It can be used Combine this tea with tequila, fresh lime juice, and agave syrup to make a hibiscus margarita.
Orange and Yellow
Turmeric: Turmeric can be used to give your cocktails a golden hue. Be careful, as a little goes a long way. It works wonderfully in a Golden Gin and Tonic, where it adds an exotic flavour and colour.
Carrots: Freshly juiced carrots bring a bright orange colour that pairs beautifully with ginger and citrus. A Carrot Ginger Mule is a refreshing option with a vibrant look.
Green
Spinach: It might sound odd, but spinach can be used to create a beautiful green juice without overpowering the cocktail’s flavour. A small amount can be added to any light cocktail such as Spinach Margarita.
Matcha: This powdered green tea pairs well with gin or vodka in a Matcha Martini, where it brings an earthy, slightly bitter flavour.
Blue and Purple
Butterfly Pea Flower: This flower is famous for its ability to change colour depending on the pH level. It starts as a deep blue and can turn purple or pink when mixed with acidic ingredients like lemon or lime juice. A Butterfly Pea Flower Gin and Tonic is a showstopper as it transforms from blue to purple before your eyes.
Spirulina Powder: Spirulina powder is derived from blue-green algae, known for its rich nutrient content and distinctive blue-green hue. When a small amount is mixed into a cocktail, it can give the drink a natural blue or blue-green tint, along with a subtle earthy and nutty taste.
Using natural ingredients offers both a challenge and opportunity for bartenders as the possibilities for flavour combinations, colour variations, and presentation are endless. So, get experimenting!
