Aldi have stepped up their gin game and released a new colour-changing gin.
Usually, colour-changing drinks are exclusive to fancy cocktail bars, where you remortgage your house for a glass which makes you go ‘oooh! Ahhh!’ for a few seconds, before the excitement wears off and you basically just have a very expensive drink left.
The excitement can last a lot longer now though, as Aldi have released a colour-changing gin which means you can avoid the regular expensive prices, and be amazed by the magic all from the comfort of your own home.
The drink is by brand McQueen Gin, and is forest fruits flavoured. If the colour-changing element wasn’t enough to make you believe this drink belongs in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, then the ingredients certainly will.
According to an Aldi spokesperson, the Forest Fruits gin is made by distilling with pale blue petals of the Asian butterfly flower – which I think you’ll agree sounds right up J.K. Rowling’s street.
When an acidic mixer or garnish is added to the gin, the colour changes from the blue of the butterfly flower, to pink. According to the director of McQueen Gin, a splash of tonic will then make the colour change again.
It will definitely make you say ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhh’.
The managing director of McQueen Gin, Dale McQueen, spoke about the product, reports the Mirror.
He said:
Not only does our new artisan gin taste great, but it also brings a little bit of theatre to gin o’clock. Perfect to share with friends, it’s a delicious fruity gin with a difference.
Add a squeeze of lime first and see what shade of pink the gin goes, then add the tonic and it will change again.
As a small craft distillery our partnership with ALDI is very valuable to us. This contract alone is worth £110,000 to the distillery.
We’re very proud to be working with them to bring this product to consumers up and down the country, giving them the chance to engage in the purest of gin experience, with just the right touch of magic.
Aldi are selling the gin for just £19.99 – which beats taking out a payday loan for one expensive cocktail in a fancy bar – and as McQueen said, it’d definitely be one to share with friends.
The drink would perfectly balance the sophistication of a G&T with the thrilling childish enjoyment of something changing colour. It’s the ultimate beverage for adults who aren’t ready to be adults yet.
Unfortunately, the gin is only available in Scottish Aldi stores for now, but we’ll hold out hope that the Scots will enjoy it so much that Aldi decide to make the drink a UK-wide product.
The Group Buying Director of ALDI Scotland, Graham Nicolson, believes the gin will go down well with customers.
Nicholson said:
We’re always looking for new and innovative products, and this is a fantastic addition to our range of Scottish Gins. It is our second collaboration with artisan distiller McQueen Gin, and we’re confident it is going to be very popular.
We’re proud to champion local suppliers and already have some more exciting collaborations with McQueen Gin in the pipeline.
Scottish Aldis might be faced with an influx of gin-lovers from around the UK soon enough – I’m already plotting how to get my hands on a bottle.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.