elderflower/gin/lime/sparkles

elderflower! it is the taste of summer, if you are british. or the taste of the countryside. or spring? something like that. i think it tastes like citrus-y apple juice, with (perhaps obviously) kind of a floral thing going on.

i had some time to kill before picking my moms up at the airport the other day, so i went to ikea. the ikea in portland is right by the airport, which is not that close to anything i go to regularly, so i almost never make it to ikea. even when i do go there, i am usually picking up some sklosvangs or glovbrniks for around the house and i never remember to check out the food part of the store.

this is unfortunate, because as i discovered the other day, it is a wonderland of weird foodstuffs. there were like 8 kinds of jarred herring, several varieties of caviar spread in tubes, lots of crisp bread things, and interesting candies and drinks, among other treasures. well, i don't know about the herring. i couldn't bring myself to buy that.

i did get some elderflower syrup concentrate, however, and immediately started making plans.

there is an elderflower liqueur that i've seen around at the kind of bar that also features homemade bitters and bartenders sorry, mixologists in dandy little waistcoats. i have had drinks made with it and it is tasty and all, but i don't necessarily want to spend $40 on flower liqueur to have in my very own house. the syrup was like $4something. at 1/10 the price, it would have to be pretty bad for me to disavow its utility in my drinks cabinet.

so. the cocktail. i had some gin (as always. gin = summer, it is currently summer, so i have gin around. it's an easy equation) and some limes and some sparkling water. and now i have some elderflower syrup. so i mixed them together and discovered an eminently quaffable bevvie (ha!) that would be a hit at any drunken garden party to which you might be invited.

i don't like things too sweet, so if you have a drinks sweet tooth, you may want to change the proportions of this a bit. but really, it's just gin (a drink's worth - follow your heart), lots of fresh lime juice (i am not going to go on another rant about this, but seriously, squeeze your own limes. it is 1000% worth it), a couple of tablespoons of elderflower syrup, and sparkling water (or club soda).

it's so dreamy and is also quite refreshing. aside from garden parties, it would be more than welcome at a late morning brunch (i think? i don't normally drink gin at brunch myself, but it could be good if you like that sort of thing) or a lazy picnic.

or you can do as i do and have it with the weird toffee laces candy that you also bought at ikea and at first didn't care for but are now kind of obsessed with.

*ingredients*

gin!

elderflower syrup, to taste

juice from 1/2 a lime

sparkle water