Written by Emily Tran and Jessica Moore

 

New season, new cocktail recipes!

Spring has sprung and so has our need for refreshing chilled cocktails!

Gone are the days of steaming hot toddys and spiked mugs of hot cocoa keeping us cozy and full of hygge vibes.

These warm drinks gave us life during the cold winter months, but now we’re ready for a drink recipe that’s sweet and blooming in freshness.

Why hello there, elderflower.

photographed by elaine tu

Today we’re sharing an original drink recipe that is the epitome of spring: bright citrus, fresh herbs, and lovely floral notes.

With its strong herbaceous flavor from the juniper berry, gin is the perfect base to tie all these elements together. But if you’re not a fan of gin’s piney flavor, vodka is a more neutral spirit you can easily substitute.

Whether you’re hosting a brunch for your girls, trying to impress your new partner’s parents, or just need a pick-me-up midweek because Friday can’t get here soon enough, this is the perfect spring cocktail for you.

photographed by Elaine Tu

Now, what can you expect out of this classy cocktail?

For starters, elderflower liqueur is very sweet, so although it is the only sweet element in this drink, it’s more than enough to balance out the other ingredients. If you’re unfamiliar with elderflower, one brand that we love is St-Germain. It can also serve as a gorgeous addition to your bar cart!

The addition of the lemon juice elevates the fragrance of this drink and creates a perfect harmony of tart and sweet. And finally, basil is an essential ingredient to keep the drink from becoming overly floral.

One last note – this is definitely a booze-forward cocktail (yaaas!). If this is up your alley, create the recipe as is… and be sure to invite us over! #shoptobi

But if you or your guests prefer less boozy drinks, feel free to top it with some soda water to help dilute it.

On the other hand, if you have some thirsty friends and you’re planning to make a pitcher of this, you can bulk it up by adding champagne to give it a fizzy touch.

Here’s the recipe:

1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice
A handful of basil leaves
Ice

1. Pour the gin into your shaker. (And yes, you do own a shaker, muddler, and strainer, because nothing screams adult like having a complete bar set to make your own craft cocktails at home).
2. Add the basil leaves and muddle thoroughly until the leaves have basically disintegrated and fully infused into the liquor.
3. Mix in the lemon juice and elderflower liqueur.
4. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice, cover, and shake. I always shake my cocktails until the metal shaker is too cold to hold anymore.
5. Strain into the glass of your choice.

Serve up and garnish with a lemon peel, or float a lemon slice because that’s totally Instaworthy. I mean come on, look at this magic:

photographed by elaine tu

What’s better than sipping on some flowers? We dare you to ponder. We’ll be drinking this cocktail all season long, but especially at all the classy pool parties we’ve already scheduled. Check out our top accessory picks for throwing the ultimate pool party.