We are calling this simply Elder Gin because it includes both elder berries and elder flowers… they were both dried. Sorry we didn’t have fresh. We started this back in February and fresh ingredients were a bit scarce. It is amazing the varieties of flavors and ingredients you can find when you just look for them.

Elder Gin

2 TB Dried Elder Berries

1/3 c. Dried Elder Flowers

2 c. Gin

2 TB Simple Syrup (or to taste)

Infuse the elder berries and flowers in gin for about 2-3 weeks. Strain, filter, add simple syrup. Tasty!

The first thing you should know about this liqueur is that if you don’t like licorice, you may not like this either. I don’t think it has much of a licorice flavor (I happen to love licorice), but my husband (a licorice hater) commented that he thought this tasted like licorice. My sister thought so as well. I had no idea that the elder berry is called “Sambucus (name your species here)”. Did you?

I can tell you that it is very flavorful on its own, and I think many people will love it. I tried it in champagne over the weekend, and it was fabulous!

For those of you who are St. Germain fans, if you have trouble finding the fresh flowers to make a liqueur, try using the dried and see what you think. I obtained both the dried elder berries and dried elder flowers at Homebrew Exchange. Their store is in Portland, and they also sell online.

It was amazing how quickly the little dried elder berries, which were about the size of pepper corns, infused the color into the liqueur. The color is very rich and looks beautiful.

I haven’t tried it in any other cocktails yet, but welcome your suggestions!