McQueen and the Violet Fog Gin Ultraviolet Edition

McQueen and the Violet Fog Gin Ultraviolet Edition is Brazil's answer to the London dry — a 40% ABV (80 proof) 750mL gin distilled in Jundiai, Sao Paulo from a 100% sugarcane base spirit and twenty-one botanicals, in 500-litre copper-pot batches. The Ultraviolet Edition builds on the flagship formula with infusions of hibiscus, red berries, fruit juices, and carmine: the gin pours violet and shifts to pink when it meets citrus or tonic. It is a color-changing gin that happens to be a serious one underneath. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV / size: 40% ABV (80 proof) — 750mL
• Botanicals: 21 — six signature (Indian basil, Portuguese rosemary, Mediterranean fennel seed, South Pacific calamansi, Vietnamese star anise, Brazilian acai); 15 macerated, 6 vapor-infused
• Base: 100% sugarcane-derived neutral spirit; traditional copper pot still, 500L batches
• UV twist: hibiscus, red berries, fruit juices, carmine — violet pour, turns pink with citrus or tonic
• Origin: distilled in Jundiai, Sao Paulo, Brazil; by Sovereign Brands

The Next-Generation Brazilian Gin

Launched worldwide in 2019 by Sovereign Brands, McQueen and the Violet Fog was conceived as a gin that reflects Brazil's biodiversity instead of mimicking European styles — hence the sugarcane base and a botanical bill that reads like a spice-trade manifest. The brand takes its name from a poem about a meeting with a mysterious rock band, printed on the back of every bottle beneath the embossed crowned-eye logo. The Ultraviolet Edition keeps all twenty-one botanicals and adds the hibiscus-berry infusion that made color-changing gins a phenomenon — except here the color is a bonus on top of a genuinely complex gin. Explore more gin or the McQueen and the Violet Fog range at Del Mesa.

Tasting Notes

Brand-via-retail notes: a nose of red berries, blueberry, citrus, hibiscus, jasmine, lemongrass, and rose petals; a palate of cranberry, blueberry, citrus zest, hibiscus, juniper, lavender, and exotic botanicals; a smooth, lingering finish with berry tartness and gentle sweetness.

How to Enjoy

In a gin and tonic with a squeeze of lime — the citrus triggers the violet-to-pink shift and the show is half the point. It also makes a striking French 75 or Bramble.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does it change color?
The hibiscus, red-berry, and carmine infusions react to acidity — add citrus or tonic and the violet pour shifts pink.

Is it actually distilled in Brazil?
Yes — in Jundiai, Sao Paulo, from a sugarcane base spirit, in 500-litre copper-pot batches. The brand owner is New York-based Sovereign Brands.

What are the six signature botanicals?
Handpicked Indian basil, Portuguese rosemary, Mediterranean fennel seed, South Pacific calamansi, Vietnamese star anise, and Brazilian acai — found, the brand says, in no other gin.

Violet in the glass, pink in the tonic — the Ultraviolet Edition is on the shelf at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.