What is added to gin to make "pink gin"?

Bitters are added to gin to make the classic cocktail known as pink gin. The traditional drink usually combines gin with a dash of Angostura bitters, which gives it a rosy color and a strongly aromatic, bittersweet flavor.

Pink gin became associated with the British Royal Navy in the nineteenth century. Angostura bitters had originally been developed as a medicinal preparation, and sailors are widely credited with mixing the concentrated bitters with gin to make them easier to consume. Plymouth gin is the traditional gin named in many classic recipes.

A typical preparation uses one part gin and a dash of bitters, sometimes with chilled water and a strip of lemon peel. Bartenders may swirl the bitters around the glass before adding the gin, leaving either a light coating or the full measure in the drink.

Modern bottles labeled pink gin can mean something different: many are fruit-infused gins colored by strawberries, raspberries or other red fruits. That newer style should not be confused with the original gin-and-bitters cocktail.