Tošaj & Co.: Elderflower Bourbon Sour

Some days are tough days, others are swell, finish with liquor and evenings end well... to a certain extent anyway! We’ve all had some evenings that may not have ended so well after a few drinks but really, for those of us who might hit the bottle every now and then, what’s not to like about finishing off a day with a good old fashioned libation? After a long day spent buzzing around in an effort to submit some federal grant proposals of epic proportion I decided to reward myself with a touch of something potent and in this case something potent was none other than an elderflower bourbon sour.

As of yet, considering that I once trained as a bartender, I’m actually quite surprised that I have abstained from posting one of my cocktail recipes to this site for so long. Thankfully though, there is a first for everything! This cocktail celebrates our lovely post-prohibition era by adding new elements to an old favorite. The smooth base of elderflower with the tang of fresh lemon and the woody char of bourbon, served up chilled or on the rocks with a brown sugar rim move this sour beyond the traditional G&T/rum & coke spectrum of cocktails. This drink makes a swell apéritif, or is good sipped for a cinq à sept alongside a variety of salty morsels.

Ingredients for one cocktail

-Brown sugar to rim glass

-Half a lemon

-3/4 oz. Bourbon (I used Old Crow)

-1/2 oz. Elderflower Liqueur*

-A touch of elderflower syrup**

*The classic option is St-Germain, otherwise the American ripoff St. Elder provides a tasty and cheap alternative if available. In Quebec, Marie Brizard makes an elderflower liqueur but I cannot guarantee its quality

** This cordial is homemade in Scandinavia and some of the UK, however, some forms of elderflower are inedible so do make sure you have the right kind! Alternatively, the syrup is available at IKEA or from the British company “Bottle Green” (sold at Atwater Market and Aubut for you Montrealers)