Beautiful flowers, warm weather, live music, wine slushies, and great food; the Lilac Festival brings a lot for Rochesterians to be thankful for. In the past three years, in conjunction with the Lilac Fest, Black Button Distilling has also brought something to be thankful for—Lilac Gin.
Made from fresh, local, hand-picked lilac petals and complimentary botanicals, this unique creation is light, crisp, and easy to drink, making it the perfect spirit for warm weather cocktails.
Two recipes Black Button recommends are:
Aviation
1.5 oz. Lilac Gin
.75 oz. lemon juice
.5 oz. Maraschino Liqueur
.5 oz. Crème de Violette
Shake and strain into a coupe glass.
Lilac Lemonade
2 oz. Lilac Gin
1 oz. lemonade
.5 oz. lemon grass syrup
.5 oz. raspberry juice
Shake and pour over ice. Use fresh lilac as garnish.
After producing only 600 bottles in its first year, Black Button has increased its Lilac Gin run to 9,000 bottles to accommodate its immense popularity. With its official release on May 11, Lilac Gin will be available to purchase at the Lilac Fest, Black Button’s tasting room, and select liquor stores in Rochester, Buffalo, and Ithaca.
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