Spring Awakening — Elderflower gin sour with orange bitters

Spring Awakening

Elderflower gin sour with orange bitters

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 3/4 ozFresh Lime Juice
    Fresh squeezed
    Substitute: Lemon acceptable
  • 2 dashesAngostura Orange Bitters
    Floral citrus brightness
    Substitute: Lavender bitters
  • 1/2 ozSt-Germain
    Elderflower liqueur
    Substitute: Elderflower cordial
  • 2 ozGin
    Hendrick's preferred
    Substitute: Botanist gin
  • 1/2 ozSimple Syrup
    Light simple syrup
    Substitute: Agave syrup

Instructions

  1. Add 2 oz gin, 1/2 oz St-Germain, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, and 1/2 oz simple syrup to shaker
  2. Add 2 dashes orange bitters
  3. Fill with ice and shake vigorously
  4. Double strain into chilled coupe glass
  5. Garnish with fresh herbs

Technique Notes

Keep the shake short. Two floral ingredients stacked will go perfumed if you over-dilute and thin them out.

Why the Spring Awakening Works

Floral on floral (gin botanicals amplified by St-Germain's elderflower) needs acid to stay structural, which is what lime supplies. Orange bitters bridge the green and the floral so the drink reads cohesive; simple syrup rounds the edges of the lime without sweetening the elderflower further.

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