You are standing in your kitchen at 5:40 on a Friday, guests due at six, and you want something that looks like you tried. This is that drink. A tall glass, a blush-pink pour, a lemon wheel perched on the rim. It photographs like a magazine cover and takes less time than finding a parking spot.
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The name is a joke that stuck in my house. The first time I made it, my sister took one photo and said it looked like it belonged on Pinterest. Now everyone asks for the Pinterest Image by name.
It is a gin sour at heart, softened with rose syrup and stretched with soda. Sweet, tart, floral, and cold. The trade-off is real: too much rose syrup and it tastes like soap, so you measure it. Do not free-pour. That is the whole game.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
Plain white sugar dissolves cleanest. If you only have cane sugar, use it, but stir longer so the syrup goes clear instead of gritty.
1 cup (240ml) water
Filtered water keeps the syrup tasting clean. Tap water works fine unless yours tastes strongly of chlorine, which will come through in the drink.
2 tablespoons (30ml) rose water
Buy food-grade rose water from a Middle Eastern grocer or the baking aisle, not perfume. If yours smells faintly of hand soap, use half the amount.
1 cup (240ml) fresh lemon juice, from about 5 lemons
Roll the lemons on the counter before juicing to get more out. Bottled lemon juice is a real downgrade here; the fresh bite is the point.
8 ounces (240ml) London dry gin
London dry keeps it crisp. Swap in vodka for a neutral version, or a good non-alcoholic gin if you are skipping booze; both work without changing the method.
2 cups (480ml) cold club soda
Chill it hard, at least 4 hours. Flat soda makes a sad drink, so open a fresh bottle and use it the same day.
1 lemon, sliced into thin wheels
Slice thin, about 1/8 inch, so the wheels sit flat on the rim. A vegetable peeler strip of peel works too if you want less fuss.
Ice cubes, about 3 cups (450g)
Bigger cubes melt slower and keep the fizz alive. Skip crushed ice here; it dilutes the drink before you finish it.
Tips & Tricks
Measure the rose syrup
Rose water goes from lovely to soapy fast, so stir it into the sugar syrup and taste before you build the drink, not after.
Chill everything first
Cold gin, cold soda, and cold glasses keep the fizz from collapsing. Warm soda foams up and goes flat in the glass.
Build over big ice
Fill the glass to the top with large cubes so there is less surface area melting into the drink. A half-full glass of ice gives you a watery cocktail in ten minutes.
Pro Tips
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Simmer the syrup
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, about 350F (175C), and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely and the liquid turns clear. Do not let it boil hard or it will reduce and turn syrupy-thick.
2. Add the rose
Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the rose water, then let it cool for 15 minutes. Taste a drop: it should smell floral but not perfumed. If it is strong, add a splash more water.
3. Chill the syrup
Pour the syrup into a jar and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 month. Cold syrup keeps the drink from going lukewarm.
4. Build the base
Fill four tall glasses to the top with ice. Pour 2 ounces (60ml) gin and 1 ounce (30ml) rose syrup into each, then squeeze in 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice.
5. Stir gently
Stir each glass 5 to 6 times with a long spoon, lifting from the bottom. The drink should look evenly blush-pink with no syrup pooled at the base.
6. Top with soda
Pour 1/2 cup (120ml) cold club soda down the inside of each glass and stir once. The surface should fizz and the liquid should turn pale pink and cloudy.
7. Garnish and serve
Slit a lemon wheel and perch it on each rim. Serve immediately while the bubbles are still lively and the glass is beaded with condensation.
Delicious Variations
Elderflower version
Swap the rose syrup for 1 ounce of elderflower liqueur per glass and cut the syrup to 1/2 ounce for a lighter, more citrus-forward drink.
Frozen blender style
Blend the gin, syrup, lemon, and 3 cups of ice until slushy, then top with soda in the glass for a frosty summer version.
Mocktail
Use 2 ounces of chilled strong chamomile tea instead of gin and add an extra squeeze of lemon to keep the bite.
How to Store Pinterest Image
Refrigerator
Keep the rose syrup in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. Build the cocktails fresh; a mixed drink goes flat in about 30 minutes.
Freezer
Freeze the syrup in an ice cube tray for up to 3 months, then thaw one cube per drink when you need it. Do not freeze the finished cocktail.
Reheating
No reheating here. If a drink has gone flat, stir in a splash of fresh cold soda rather than adding heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make this without a cocktail shaker?
Yes, you do not need one. Build the drink directly in the glass over ice and stir with a long spoon; you lose the foam cap but keep all the fizz.
Q: How much alcohol is in one Pinterest Image?
Each drink has 2 ounces of gin, which is roughly 1.5 standard drinks. That is about the same as a strong glass of wine, so pace yourself accordingly.
Q: Can I use dried rose petals instead of rose water?
You can, but the flavor is much weaker and the petals need steeping. Steep 2 tablespoons of food-grade dried petals in the hot syrup for 20 minutes, then strain before chilling.
Q: Why did my drink taste like soap?
Too much rose water is almost always the cause. Rose water is potent, and 2 tablespoons per cup of syrup is the ceiling; start with 1 tablespoon if you are unsure of your brand.
Q: Can I make a pitcher for a party?
Yes, multiply the gin, syrup, and lemon by six and stir in a pitcher with ice, but add the soda to each glass as you serve. Soda mixed into a pitcher goes flat fast.
Make the rose syrup tonight, chill it, and build one glass before dinner to taste the balance. Adjust the syrup by a quarter ounce and you will have your house version dialed in by the weekend. Keep it small, keep it going.
Pinterest Image
Pinterest Image is a blush-pink gin fizz with rose syrup and lemon, ready in 10 minutes and pretty enough to stop any scroll dead in its tracks.
🧂 Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) rose water
- 1 cup (240ml) fresh lemon juice, from about 5 lemons
- 8 ounces (240ml) London dry gin
- 2 cups (480ml) cold club soda
- 1 lemon, sliced into thin wheels
- Ice cubes, about 3 cups (450g)
📋 Instructions
- 1Simmer the syrup — Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, about 350F (175C), and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely and the liquid turns clear. Do not let it boil hard or it will reduce and turn syrupy-thick.
- 2Add the rose — Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the rose water, then let it cool for 15 minutes. Taste a drop: it should smell floral but not perfumed. If it is strong, add a splash more water.
- 3Chill the syrup — Pour the syrup into a jar and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 month. Cold syrup keeps the drink from going lukewarm.
- 4Build the base — Fill four tall glasses to the top with ice. Pour 2 ounces (60ml) gin and 1 ounce (30ml) rose syrup into each, then squeeze in 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice.
- 5Stir gently — Stir each glass 5 to 6 times with a long spoon, lifting from the bottom. The drink should look evenly blush-pink with no syrup pooled at the base.
- 6Top with soda — Pour 1/2 cup (120ml) cold club soda down the inside of each glass and stir once. The surface should fizz and the liquid should turn pale pink and cloudy.
- 7Garnish and serve — Slit a lemon wheel and perch it on each rim. Serve immediately while the bubbles are still lively and the glass is beaded with condensation.
