The Elderflower Sour
As the temperatures warm up this Spring, cool off with a refreshing Elderflower Sour.
This is a perfect cocktail for warm weather moments. And it doesn’t have to be a particularly sour one either. More on that later.
This is a relatively newer cocktail. Most certainly post-2000 in creation. It likely dates to around 2007 when one of the key ingredients, St. Germain, was released. Elderflower is a small, starry-shaped white flower that blooms in spring and summer. The liqueur gives cocktails a light, floral flavor that isn’t overpowering.
What you’ll need: Gin, St. Germain Liqueur, Lemon Juice, and simple syrup.
Prepare your simple syrup in advance. Simple syrup is essentially one part water to one part sugar heated in a sauce pan until the sugar dissolves. Then let cool. Alternatively, you could use honey instead of sugar as in the Bee’s Knees cocktail.
In a shaker over cracked ice, pour in two ounces of gin, one ounce of St. Germain liqueur, one ounce of lemon juice (freshly squeezed, if possible) and 1/2 ounce of simple syrup. Shake and then strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice. Optionally, garnish with a lemon twist.
How I like it: I’ve slightly tweaked the proportions above for a fuller, more satisfying drink. My gin of choice was Bombay Sapphire, but be sure to use your favorite brand. Now, one slight variation to consider is to use lemonade instead the simple syrup and lemon juice. Lemonade as a substitute works very well for this drink. And you might even want to consider using a cucumber-flavored lemonade for an even spring-ier refreshment. Technically, that makes the drink less of a “sour”, but not everyone likes their cocktail too tart!
Drink responsibly!
The Poisoned Martini 