The classic cocktail canon rests on citrus, sugar, and bitters. The modern version is the same, plus a bottle of something floral. Elderflower has been the gateway drug since St-Germain landed in Australia about 2010. The rest of the floral and botanical category — rose, violet, hibiscus, orgeat — has caught up.
Here's the working short list of floral syrups and liqueurs we stock, with what to do with each. Most cost under $70.
Elderflower — the entry point
1883 Elderflower Syrup ($28) is the workhorse version: 1L of intensely floral, gently sweet elderflower syrup. Use it where you'd use St-Germain in a cocktail but want less alcohol. The classic Hugo: 30ml elderflower syrup, 60ml dry sparkling (the Monmousseau Brut Étoile NV, $31, is the right level), a splash of soda, a sprig of mint, a slice of lime, ice. A better gin and tonic: 60ml gin, 15ml elderflower syrup, top with tonic, cucumber ribbon.
Rose — the dinner-party perfume
Two grades. 1883 Rose Syrup ($28) is the budget version — use it in cocktails and cooking. Vedrenne Liqueur de Rose ($64) is the proper liqueur (18% ABV) for sipping or stirring into something stronger. The Vedrenne is made in Nuits-Saint-Georges, the historic Burgundian liqueur town, by a family house that has been at it since 1923.
The cocktail: 45ml dry gin, 15ml Vedrenne Liqueur de Rose, 15ml lemon, 10ml elderflower syrup, dry-shaken then shaken with ice, double-strained. A Rose French 75 in everything but name.
Violet — the strange beautiful one
Vedrenne Liqueur de Violette ($64) is what makes an Aviation cocktail an Aviation: 45ml dry gin, 15ml maraschino, 10ml violet liqueur, 15ml lemon juice. Shake hard, strain into a coupe. The colour alone is worth the bottle — pale lilac, no garnish needed.
If you don't make cocktails: a teaspoon of violet liqueur over a scoop of lemon sorbet is a small, perfect dessert.
Hibiscus — the tart one
1883 Hibiscus Syrup ($30) is hibiscus calyx steeped into a sugar syrup — tart, deep red, slightly tannic. The Mexican move: hibiscus and mezcal. Try 60ml of the Amores Verde Momento Organic Mezcal ($85), 20ml hibiscus syrup, 20ml lime, salt rim, big rocks glass.
The non-cocktail use: hibiscus syrup in a vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and olive oil over beetroot, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts. The salad that gets asked about.
Orgeat / almond — the cocktail secret weapon
1883 Orgeat Syrup ($32) is the almond-and-orange-flower syrup that goes into a proper Mai Tai. The cocktail itself, done right: 30ml aged rum (the J.M Atelier Fumée Volcanique, $124, is right), 30ml white rum (try the Killik Silver Overproof, $102), 15ml orange Curaçao, 15ml orgeat, 30ml lime, shake, crushed ice, mint sprig. Don't blend it. Don't use a tiki mug. Don't put a paper umbrella in it.
Mint — the underrated one
Vedrenne Liqueur de Menthe Verte ($58) is green peppermint liqueur — the colour of a Granny Smith apple. Use it in a Stinger (60ml cognac, 15ml mint liqueur, stirred over ice in a rocks glass), or pour a small measure over crushed ice with a dash of lime as a after-dinner palate cleanser.
For something more interesting: 30ml dry gin, 15ml green mint liqueur, 20ml lime, top with soda. The grasshopper's sober cousin.
The rules of floral cocktail making
- Less than you think. Floral ingredients dominate fast. Start with 10ml and add.
- Acid is mandatory. Lemon, lime, or grapefruit — every floral cocktail needs cut.
- Match the base spirit. Gin loves elderflower, rose, violet. Mezcal loves hibiscus. Cognac loves violet and mint.
- Garnish the same family. Edible flowers are gimmicky. A single citrus peel is almost always better.
- Refrigerate the syrups once opened. They're sugar-based and unpreserved. Eight weeks is the rough shelf life.
If you want a starter kit: the 1883 Elderflower Syrup, the Vedrenne Liqueur de Rose, and the 1883 Orgeat will cover about thirty different drinks. The whole 1883 range and the full Vedrenne lineup are on the site — about $30 to $70 a bottle, all 700-1000ml.
— Maeve, Caravan Wines & Spirits
