The rare and beautiful Pink Pigeon is endemic to Mauritius and one of the rarest birds in the world. But did you know it also lends its name to a homegrown Mauritian brand?

Pink Pigeon Rum is a single estate spiced rum produced at the century-old Medine Estate on the western side of the island, on a flat plain between the mountains and the Indian Ocean, not far from the village of Bambous. The high-quality molasses that comes from the sugarcane grown at the estate provides a perfect natural source for the rum, before a quadruple distillation process at the on-site Medine Distillery – the oldest still-operational distillery in Mauritius. 

Botanicals

The result is a series of unique infusions.

Pink Pigeon’s hand-pollinated natural Bourbon vanilla grows freely in the canopy of the rainforests of Reunion and Madagascar, where the pods are handpicked and plunged into boiling water before being sun-dried, sorted and matured for eight months in closely layered wooden boxes. Finally, once the vanilla is fully ripened it’s infused with the rum for a further six months.

Fresh, slightly spicy peel from Reunion oranges provides the rum with a zesty kick, while tender orchid petals impart a gentle note of flowery honey.

These three exquisite botanicals combine to give Pink Pigeon its distinctive flavour, and are all infused individually before being blended with the light, golden rum in accordance with master blender Alain Chatel’s recipe.

How to drink

Pink Pigeon Rum is a smooth and easy-to-drink spirit, despite the relative complexity of its flavours. That said, it really comes into its own in long, mixed drinks such as one of Pink Pigeon’s own signature cocktails like the Pink Mojito, created by Jason Fendick.

This subtle twist on the Cuban classic is topped up with cranberry juice - the dryness of which cuts through the sweet vanilla flavours. Other favourites include The Pigeon Aperitivo, a stirred cocktail made with Peychaud Bitters, Red Vermouth and Aperol, and the Pink Pigeon Punch, a perfect party drink made with watermelon and ginger beer. Recipes for these, and for many other delicious cocktails, are available on the Pink Pigeon Rum YouTube channel.