The market · Liqueurs and bitters · France and the north-west

Elderflower liqueur

Sweet liqueur of elderflowers — floral, with lychee, pear and grapefruit. Modern bars took to it fast.

floral · lychee · pear

If you can't find it

Spirit shops; St-Germain is the usual one.

  1. 1Elderflower
    Elderflower cordial with a splash of vodka
    You lose body.

Goes with

sparkling winelondon dry ginlemon juicecucumber

Knowing it

Where to buy
Don't swap it measure for measure with elderflower cordial, which has no alcohol and is much sweeter.
Worth knowing
So floral it bullies everything else: start at a barspoon. In late spring, fresh elderflower heads (stems off) infuse gin or vodka in a day — no longer, or it turns bitter.

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