If drinking rosé all summer has made you wish all your food could be pink, we just found you the perfect spirit. Wölffer Estate Vineyard has a gin that's made from actual rosé wine. Made in small batches using distilled wine as the base, Wölffer first bottled its pink gin last summer, using hand-picked juniper berries from its Hamptons vineyard. The booze has been slowly gathering a following of rosé-crazy fans ever since.
While gin made from wine might seem odd, gin is simply defined as any neutral spirit that is infused with botanicals. Winemaker Roman Roth uses a copper still to distill the rosé, creating a pure alcohol. In addition to the juniper berries, Roth uses six other herbs and seeds, including cardamon, coriander, and fresh mint also grown on the estate. As a final step, a very small amount of red grape skin extract is added for that pink hue.
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The result, according to a press release from Wölffer, is a gin that is clean and full-bodied with a hint of spiciness. It's perfect for upgrading your gin and tonics, or for a late-summer martini. And, of course, it mixes well into other classic gin cocktails like negronis, though you will lose sight of the color.
Pink gin is currently available in select east coast stores for a suggested retail price of $34 as well as online from Bottle Hampton. This isn't Wölffer's first foray into rosé drinks that aren't technically wine. In addition to its popular Summer In A Bottle rosé, the vineyard also sells a rosé cider made with New York apples. While it doesn't use wine as a base like the gin, it is finished off with grape extract, giving it not only a pink color but a hint of sweetness reminiscent of rosé. And while we're all about rosé jams, gummies, and ice cream, we are very appreciative of Wölffer's work to give us more ways to expand our rosé drinking options, too.