A local distillery crafted the signature cocktail of the year for Pantone, the company which decides the official colour of the year.
For 2020 the official colour is classic blue, a colour Pantone said was chosen for its ability to instill calmness and connection, promising stability as we head into a new decade.
“We are living in at time that requires trust and faith,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director at the Pantone Color Institute in a statement. “Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”
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People will begin seeing the colour everywhere, from furniture to fashion and now even at the bar.
Victoria Distillers was chosen by Pantone to craft the official colour cocktail and used its famous blue Empress 1908 Gin to craft the drink.
“Pantone actually reached out to Empress 1908 over Instagram, and gave us very minimal details but asked if we’d be interested in creating the cocktail of the year,” said Jessalyn Pechie, marketing manager at Victoria Distillers. “They couldn’t tell us the colour until were in and signed a non-disclosure agreement.”
Soon the team got to work on crafting the perfect drink.
The gin gets its natural indigo colour from the butterfly pea blossom, but keeping things a classic blue took some creativity.
“Any time you add something remotely acidic it turns into a lavender or light pink colour,” Pechie said. “So we made it a more spirit-filled cocktail that was much more alkaline.”
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The Classic Blue Cocktail stays true to its colour thanks in part to the use of the official tea blend of the year from Vancouver-based TEALEAVES, which also uses the butterfly pea blossom.
The cocktail was served at Pantone’s official kickoff event in New York City on Dec. 4.
Anyone interested in trying the cocktail can find the recipe below:
Classic Blue
1 3/4 oz Empress 1908 Gin
1/3 oz Giffard Pamplemousse
1/3 oz Dry Vermouth
1/3 oz TEALEAVES Classic Blue Tea
Express lemon peel
Method: Stir ingredients on ice. Strain into chilled a Nick & Nora glass. Express lemon peel and garnish with a grapefruit peel (or blueberries for an extra pop of Classic Blue).
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