Elderflower Gin Sour

This elderflower gin sour is a delicately flavored cocktail that uses homemade elderflower syrup to bring floral flavors to a traditional cocktail.

A classic gin sour is a delicious cocktail, perfectly balanced with sweet and tart. The ‘sour’ element comes from lemon juice. It usually has a foamy top. Make this from egg whites (or aquafaba for a vegan alternative). This frothy top gives a nice layered cocktail look.

This elderflower gin cocktail brings a subtle floral sweetness to a classic drink. It uses homemade elderflower syrup along with fresh lemon juice. 

You can make a raspberry version or blueberry version of this cocktail too with different simple syrup flavors!

Ingredients

Find the ingredient amounts for this elderflower gin cocktail recipe written in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.

• Elderflower simple syrup. When it’s the time of year for elderflower, it’s a great idea to make a simple syrup! The delicate floral sweetness of the elderflower is the perfect addition to this cocktail. Make the sugar syrup ahead of time so it has time to infuse before it’s used. See how to make elderflower syrup.
• Good London Dry Gin. Use a high-quality type of gin that is infused with botanical flavour through re-distillation. The main flavor in this gin comes from juniper and there are no artificial colors or flavors added. 
• Lemon juice. Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. This gives the right amount of tang and enhances the elderflower flavor. You can substitute this for lime juice too.
• Egg whites. This gives the drink a layer of foam on top. As they are raw egg whites, it’s best to use pasteurized eggs. If you are allergic to eggs or vegan, this can be swapped for the unsalted liquid from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba.)
• Ice cubes

See the recipe card for quantities.

Equipment

• A cocktail shaker or a tall jar with a lid + a strainer
• Coupe glass, martini glass or similar cocktail glass

Instructions

If you’ve got your elderflower syrup ready, you can make this gin sour recipe in only a few easy steps. Fill a coupe glass or martini glass with ice and set this aside to chill while you make the cocktail.

To a cocktail shaker, add the gin, elderflower syrup, lemon juice and egg white.

Add on the lid on top of the shaker and shake for 15 seconds. This is called a ‘dry shake. It mixes in the egg white better. 

Add in ice. Shake the mixture again until it is thoroughly chilled. 

Remove the ice from the coupe glass. Strain the drink into the chilled coupe glass.

Variations

• Lime twist instead of lemon twist. Swap the lemon juice for fresh lime juice. Though the lemon flavors have a similar flavor profile, lime will still bring different hints of citrus.
• No white foam top – If you leave out the egg white too then this drink will be more of a gimlet not a gin sour.  
• Other flavors. Use the same method for elderberry syrup with other berries too, like raspberry syrup or blueberry syrup.
• Add a sugar rim. Coat the rim of the glass in sugar for a little something extra. Run a lemon or lime wedge along the edge of the glass, then dip the glass in a little plate of sugar.
• Swap the gin for vodka and make an elderflower vodka sour.

More sour cocktail recipes

For more gin cocktails, try these delicious recipes

• Raspberry gin sour
• Blueberry gin sour

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