Cocktail of the Month: When Purple Meets Pink

Some cocktails emerge from a long tradition of bartending. Others are closer to the present moment: few ingredients, clean freshness, a new filler. Pink Signal belongs to this second category.

The recipe is straightforward: 3 cl vodka, 2 cl freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice, topped up with Kinley Purple, garnished with pink grapefruit. That sounds like a simple mixed drink – and that is precisely where its strength lies. The drink does not impress through complexity, but through balance, colour and a certain ease.

Pink grapefruit at the centre

The pink grapefruit is at the heart of the drink. It brings juiciness, freshness and a delicate bitterness that gives a cocktail definition. That slight tartness is essential: it keeps Pink Signal from tipping into something too sweet, too accommodating.

Vodka provides the right foundation. It does not push forward aromatically, but gives the cocktail structure, coolness and backbone.

Kinley Purple as the filler

The drink gains its character from Kinley Purple. Kinley belongs to the Coca-Cola Company, which this year celebrates its 90th anniversary in Switzerland – lending the cocktail a contemporary reference without turning it into a brand statement.

What matters most, however, is what the filler does in the glass: it lengthens the drink, adds carbonation, aromatic lightness and a depth of colour that pairs beautifully with the pink grapefruit.

A modern aperitif in a wine glass

Pink Signal is not served in a classic highball glass but in a wine glass. That changes the perception entirely. The drink reads as a modern aperitif. The wine glass gives the aromas more room, lets the grapefruit open up and lends the presentation a quiet elegance.

With that, Pink Signal occupies a space that is becoming increasingly relevant in contemporary bar culture: drinks that are accessible without being banal. Fresh, light and uncomplicated – yet never generic. That is exactly the balance this cocktail strikes.

Three moments in the glass

The first impression is fresh and clear. Then comes the tart juiciness of the grapefruit, before Kinley Purple lifts the drink and extends its length. The pink grapefruit garnish is decoration and aromatics at once: it brings fragrance to the glass and restates the cocktail's idea – pink in appearance, fresh in taste, with a trace of bitterness that makes it feel grown-up.

Pink Signal is a drink for the early evening, the terrace, a reception. It requires no elaborate technique and no rare ingredients – but it shows how much a glass, a filler and one precisely chosen fruit can accomplish.

Recipe – Pink Signal

Ingredients:

… 3 cl vodka
… 2 cl fresh pink grapefruit juice
… 10 cl Kinley Purple
… Pink grapefruit as garnish

Glass

Large wine glass

Preparation

Fill a large wine glass with ice. Add the vodka and freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice and stir briefly. Top up with Kinley Purple, lifting the drink gently to preserve the carbonation. Garnish with a slice, wedge or zest of pink grapefruit.

#Cheers!

Peter Jauch is…

… a spirits sommelier with a penchant for high-end cocktails, often pairing them with fine food.
… author of coffee-table books on gin & champagne.
… an experienced spirits and champagne tasting host.
… co-organizer of an experiential festival together with friends.