So we pretty know what’s in here. How does this sparse, curated list of ingredients work though?
Tasting Notes
On its own hints of rainbow sherbet, musky elderflower and a vegetal, slightly herbaceous low note. It smells ripe, but quite inviting as well. As if a bee drawn to a flower, we go in further.
The palate is somewhat sweetened at first, with elderflower immediately present, lime and orange peel notes leading into a quite tart, sour mid-late palate. A dash of cinchona comes in late, adding some nicely needed bitterness. The finish is floral and deep, with intimations of lily and hyacinth.
I liked the way it mixed with gin and tonic as well. The bottle recommends .75 oz of syrup, 2 oz. of gin, and 5 oz of soda. I think that it’s a little faint at this ratio, something a little closer to 4:1 soda to syrup showcases it a little better.
That being said, I did actually find that some louder gins, especially flavored gins could overpower the syrup; however, in some cases to nice effect. The elderflower note was more of an afterthought or nuance, perhaps of the gin, than a dominating characteristic. I found it to not add as much to floral contemporary gins. Where I thought it worked best was adding a floral tinge to coriander forward/spice forward gins, or in particular with classic style gins. Among my favorites were the way it shone with Gordon’s and Seagram’s, though again in the lower ratio.
Vitals
Price: $9 / 8 oz
Sweetened with: sugar
Availability: Online and at Amazon
Rating: Quite nice. Bright elderflower/citrus flavor profile, with a gently amped up bitterness on the finish that makes for a delightful gin and tonic. I liked it best with Classic style gins, but fans of Elderflower will likely find it a worthy addition to any gin. I suggest dialing back the ratio of soda to syrup a touch, but that doesn’t take away from the product as a whole. Good stuff, check it out.