Have you seen a blue gin that, on contact with tonic, suddenly turns pink? It's not a bartender's trick. It's not a chemical dye. It's pure natural chemistry, and behind it lies a flower: the Butterfly Pea, also known as Clitoria Ternatea. In Balena Pink Gin it is one of the nine botanicals, and it's the secret behind the colour change from blue to pink.
What Is the Butterfly Pea (Clitoria Ternatea)
The Butterfly Pea is a flower native to South-East Asia, in particular Thailand, Malaysia and India. It grows as a climbing plant and produces small flowers of an intense, almost indigo blue. In Asia it has been used for centuries to make herbal teas, colour rice and decorate traditional dishes. Its Latin name, Clitoria Ternatea, comes from the shape of the flower, which resembles that of a butterfly.
It is completely natural, edible, vegan and contains no synthetic additives. It is used in some of the world's most iconic colour-changing gins, and it's precisely one of the ingredients that makes Gin Balena Pink.
Why the gin changes colour from blue to pink
The secret lies in a molecule:anthocyanin. It's a natural pigment found in many flowers, fruits and vegetables (blueberries, purple cabbage, aubergines). Anthocyanin has a unique property: changes colour according to the pH of the liquid it is in.
- Environment: neutral (water) the pigment appears deep blue
- Environment: acidic (tonic water, lemon, ginger beer) it shifts to pink or purple
- Environment: alkaline (rare in cocktails) it tends toward green
When you pour tonic into Balena Pink Gin, the drink's acidity meets the anthocyanins in the Butterfly Pea and within seconds the liquid transforms before your eyes. It's not magic: it's natural science.
The 9 Botanicals of Balena Pink Gin
The Butterfly Pea is just one of the nine selected botanicals in our Italian craft gin. The others — juniper, coriander, cardamom, sweet orange, mandarin, ginger, helichrysum and Adriatic sea water — build a fresh, citrusy, Mediterranean aromatic profile. Discover them all the botanicals of Balena Pink.
How to serve Balena Pink Gin to see the colour change
To enhance the colour effect, we recommend that you:
- Fill a balloon glass with plenty of ice
- Pour 4 cl of Balena Pink Gin (you'll see the deep blue)
- Top up slowly with chilled premium tonic water
- Watch the liquid shift from blue to pink within seconds
- Garnish with an orange peel or a sprig of helichrysum
Want to try more creative recipes? Discover all our cocktails with Balena Pink Gin: from the Pink Mule to the Rimini Sunset, every drink is a chromatic spectacle.
Is the Butterfly Pea harmful? Is it safe?
The Butterfly Pea is completely natural and safe. It has been used for centuries in Asian tradition as a food ingredient and in Ayurvedic medicine. Recent studies attribute antioxidant properties to it thanks to its anthocyanin content. In Balena Pink Gin we use it in the quantities needed to achieve its characteristic colour, keeping the quality and safety of the spirit fully intact.
More Than a Gin: An Experience
Balena Pink Gin isn't just a spirit: it's a small ritual. The moment you pour the tonic and the colour changes becomes the heart of the experience — the gesture that turns a drink into a story worth telling. A story born on the Rimini coast, from the Adriatic Sea, carrying with it the magic of a faraway flower and the strength of Italian craftsmanship.
Ready to see the transformation with your own eyes? Buy Balena Pink Gin and discover why it's the gin that knows when it's time to change.