Some days are tough days, others are swell, finish with
liquor and evenings end well... to a certain extent anyway! We’ve all had some
evenings that may not have ended so well after a few drinks but really, for
those of us who might hit the bottle every now and then, what’s not to like
about finishing off a day with a good old fashioned libation? After a long day
spent buzzing around in an effort to submit some federal grant proposals of
epic proportion I decided to reward myself with a touch of something potent and
in this case something potent was none other than an elderflower bourbon sour.
As of yet, considering that I once trained as
a bartender, I’m actually quite surprised that I have abstained from posting
one of my cocktail recipes to this site for so long. Thankfully though, there
is a first for everything! This cocktail celebrates our lovely post-prohibition
era by adding new elements to an old favorite. The smooth base of elderflower
with the tang of fresh lemon and the woody char of bourbon, served up chilled
or on the rocks with a brown sugar rim move
this sour beyond the traditional G&T/rum & coke spectrum of cocktails. This
drink makes a swell apéritif, or is good sipped for a cinq à sept alongside a
variety of salty morsels.
Ingredients for one cocktail
-Brown sugar to rim glass
-Half a lemon
-3/4 oz. Bourbon (I used Old Crow)
-1/2 oz. Elderflower Liqueur*
-A touch of elderflower syrup**
*The classic option
is St-Germain, otherwise the American ripoff St. Elder provides a tasty and
cheap alternative if available. In Quebec, Marie Brizard makes an elderflower
liqueur but I cannot guarantee its quality
** This cordial is homemade in Scandinavia and some of the
UK, however, some forms of elderflower are inedible so do make sure you have
the right kind! Alternatively, the syrup is available at IKEA or from the
British company “Bottle Green” (sold at Atwater Market and Aubut for you
Montrealers)
Method:
Squeeze lemon around the edge of your glass making sure it's applied liberally and evenly
Rotate the glass in the brown sugar
Measure out your liquor and spirit, add to a shaker alongside the elderflower syrup and combine with the remaining lemon juice
Add ice
Seal the shaker with a glass
 |
| My shaking glass was out of commission at the time so I grabbed this one. In a pinch? feel free to use a mason jar! |
Strain out
Serve!
And remember folks, to quote American poet Ogden Nash (or Willy Wonka if you prefer) "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker!"
