How to Make a Pretty in Pink Cocktail: Craft Recipe & Expert Tips
A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting the Ultimate Serve.
Crisp, light, and effortlessly pretty, the Pretty in Pink is warm weather drinking at its finest. A dry gin base brings the botanical backbone, while elderflower liqueur steps in to soften and lift, adding a delicate floral sweetness that pairs beautifully with the sharp, citrusy bite of fresh grapefruit and lemon. It's the kind of cocktail that looks understated in the glass and then completely surprises you on the palate. Elegant without trying too hard, and refreshing in a way that makes it very difficult to stop at one. Served in a Nick & Nora glass with a sprig of rosemary, this is a serve built for long, warm Sussex afternoons.
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Base Spirit: Gin
Flavour Profile: Floral, citrusy, crisp, light
Glassware:Nick & Nora Glass
Occasion: Weddings, Garden Parties, Bridal Showers, Hen Dos, Summer Gatherings
First Created For: An engagement party in Hove in 2026
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Ingredients:
40ml Dry Gin
20ml Elderflower Liqueur
20ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
Rosemary Sprig (garnish)
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How to make:
Select and pre-chill a nick & nora glass.
Add the dry gin, elderflower liqueur, fresh grapefruit juice, and fresh lemon juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake hard for 10–15 seconds until well chilled.
Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
Serve immediately.
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Allergens:
Sulphites (elderflower liqueur, brand dependent)
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Story behind the Serve
The pairing of elderflower and gin is one of those combinations that feels almost inevitable, two quintessentially British flavour profiles that have been finding each other in gardens and kitchen tables for generations. Here, that pairing is given a citrusy edge with fresh grapefruit and lemon, which cuts through the floral sweetness and keeps the serve firmly on the refreshing side of elegant. The Nick & Nora glass, smaller and more intimate than a standard martini glass, was chosen deliberately for this modern serve. It's a cocktail that rewards slowing down and actually smelling the glass before you sip.
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Planning an Event in Sussex?
Whether you're hosting a summer garden party in Seven Dials, a bridal shower in Ringmer, or a hen do across the Sussex countryside, we bring bespoke cocktail experiences to you.
Loved this one? Try our Sicilian Painbrush cocktail next, perfect for your next birthday celebration.
Want the full lineup? Browse our Vodka Cocktails for more inspiration.
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