Platinum Ink Gin: The New Zealand Craft Gin That Changes Colour From Ink Blue to Vivid Pink
21 July 2026If you've never watched a gin change colour in your glass, Platinum Ink Gin is where to start. It's Hector's Spirits' colour-shifting gin, a small-batch New Zealand craft gin that pours a deep ink blue and turns vivid pink the moment it meets tonic water or citrus. It's a genuine talking point at any gathering, but it's also a serious gin underneath the theatre, built on the same coastal botanicals that define everything we make.
What Makes Platinum Ink Gin Change Colour?
The colour shift isn't a dye trick or a novelty additive — it comes down to real chemistry. Platinum Ink Gin is infused with butterfly pea extract, a natural botanical known for its striking pH sensitivity. In its base state, the gin sits a rich, deep ink blue. Add a splash of tonic water, or a squeeze of citrus, and the change in acidity flips the pigment from blue to a vivid pink right before your eyes.
It's the same natural compound used for centuries in traditional teas and drinks across Southeast Asia, we've simply brought it into a New Zealand coastal gin.
How to See the Colour Change Yourself
The transformation happens fastest and most dramatically with:
- Tonic water: the classic G&T serve, ink blue to vivid pink in seconds
- A squeeze of citrus: lemon or lime works just as well as tonic
- Sparkling wine or soda with a citrus twist: for a colour-shifting spritz
For the best visual effect, pour the gin first, then add your mixer slowly and watch the colour move through the glass rather than stirring it in all at once.
The Botanicals Behind the Gin
Colour aside, Platinum Ink Gin carries the same botanical backbone as the rest of the Hector's Gin range; native sea kelp, manuka, thyme, lavender and lemon myrtle, foraged and blended to reflect the New Zealand coastline the brand is named for. The butterfly pea extract adds the visual signature, but the flavour profile stays true to Hector's coastal, briny character.
Platinum Ink Gin vs Premium Dry Gin
Hector's Premium Dry Gin is the flagship expression — a classic, coastal dry gin built for a traditional serve. Platinum Ink Gin shares the same botanical foundation but adds the colour-changing butterfly pea extract, making it the gin to reach for when you want the serve itself to be part of the experience — dinner parties, gifting, or anyone who's never seen a gin do this before.
Why It's More Than a Gimmick
It would be easy to write Platinum Ink Gin off as a novelty, but the colour change is a genuine expression of the same values behind the rest of Hector's Spirits: native ingredients, real botanicals, and a bottle that tells you something true about where it comes from. The ink-blue-to-pink shift isn't there to distract from the gin, it's a demonstration of what's actually inside it.
Where to Find Platinum Ink Gin
Platinum Ink Gin (42% ABV, 700ml) is available through Hector's Spirits stockists across New Zealand. Check our stockist tab to find your local.
It's As Native as the Kiwi. Crafted by the Sea.
Tag us with #HowIHector to show us your own colour-shift moment.