Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thirsty Thursdays: Elderflower Edition

For weeks now, I've been begging the husband to make me an elderflower inspired drink. It goes a little something like this:

The Diva: I want a drink made with elderflower liqueur.

The Husband: So buy some and I'll make it.

That's the entire exchange, word for word. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Often. Through the magic of "Marital Hearing" - a condition which develops after, oh, say the better part of 3 decades spent together - that exchange morphs into something like this:

The Diva says: I want a drink made with elderflower liqueur.

The Husband Hears: waah waah waah elderflower waah waah.

Result: while away on business in New Haven, the husband proceeds to order himself a drink made with ... you guessed it ... elderflower liqueur. And the Diva? Well, she gets an email about it on Monday night!

The Gin Blossom - recipe courtesy of Zinc Restaurant:
  • 1 1/2 oz. gin
  • 1 1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
  • 1 1/2 oz. strawberry puree*
  • a bit of soda water for topping up
Pour the gin, St. Germain and strawberry puree into an ice filled shaker. Shake well and strain into an ice filled glass, top up with a bit of soda water (plain seltzer) to taste. Stir, garnish with a sprig of mint, serve and enjoy. Repeat as necessary.

*To make the strawberry puree, I used a 10 oz. bag of organic frozen strawberries. I thawed the berries and pureed them in a blender, with about a tablespoon of water, until smooth and liquefied.

My word for this drink is: enchanting! Normally, I'm not a fan of gin based cocktails, but the subtle yet complex flavor of St. Germain pairs beautifully with both the gin and strawberries. The elderflower liqueur is unique in flavor; a bit sweet but not overly so, laced with notes of pear and soft lemon with a slight floral finish. Its difficult to describe ... almost like a whisper ... there in the background, haunting your palate, just begging for another sip. It is the magical ingredient that turns this drink from the ordinary into something quite extraordinary. The Gin Blossom is light, refreshing and altogether perfect for Spring. I hope you'll try it!

To learn more about this unusual, hand-crafted liqueur, you may visit the St. Germain site. It contains a wealth of information and some delicious looking cocktail recipes.

All kidding aside, I am immensely grateful to the husband for his intrepid investigations on behalf of Thirty Thursdays. He happened to find himself in New Haven earlier this week and popped into Zinc for a meal. Located on Chapel Street, Zinc specializes in "market inspired, globally infused" modern American cuisine. By all accounts, his meal was spectacular and I'm looking forward to trying Zinc on my next trip to CT. He had the Berkshire pork sausage as an entree and began the meal with some really delicious pork and ginger dumplings. ~drool~

They did indeed serve him a Gin Blossom and his waitress, Sara, was kind enough to offer him the recipe when he mentioned my Thirsty Thursdays feature to her. Thank you so much, Sara! Clearly, the husband was impressed with this place and I am delighted to offer them props for our cocktail offering this week. Thanks to Zinc, my wish has finally been fulfilled. Hooray!

So, are you a fan of elderflower liqueur? If so, how do you take yours? Curious Diva wants to know.

Bon appetit!

18 comments:

Tracy said...

YUM! This cocktail sounds fantastic! So sweet of your husband to conduct research on your behalf ;).

Melissa Good Taste said...

Elderflower.... hmmm.. interesting. Sounds great and refreshing!

Christo Gonzales said...

you are opening doors and windows I never knew existed - this drink sounds almost - and dare I say - healthy!

Anonymous said...

Cocktail, cocktail, cocktail. Happy Thursday everyone! Let's get this party started now!

pixelgal said...

I never heard of Elderflower liqueur but maybe people reading this blog will buy me some for Christmas in place of the 50 or so bottles of Bailey's I have in storage. How 'bout it peeps????

Daniel said...

That's funny, my wife says I came down with Marital Hearing before we even got married. :)

I always enjoy your drink posts--keep 'em coming!

Dan
Casual Kitchen

Unknown said...

Hey diva, check out gourmet.com, they have something on there that I think you will love. Its a whole list of recipes for vintage cocktails. (I'd send u a direct link but i'm using a really crappy old computer at the moment that doesnt let me copy and paste).

Heavenly Housewife said...

ok, here it is:
http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/cocktails/1940s/index/classic_cocktail_recipes_1940s

The Diva on a Diet said...

Tracy - yes, I'm sure his arm had to be twisted for such kind of research ... not! LOL

Melissa - yes, it is very refreshing. Going to be a summer favorite for sure!

doggy - my pleasure ... and, mais oui ... anything with fruit qualifies as a health drink! ;)

Duo - I agree!

Pixelgal - indeed, we must replace all of the dreaded Bailey's with this yummy stuff. Maybe even next weekend. ;)

Dan - ah, so you know of this condition ... I admit to having a case of Marital Hearing on occasion myself. :) Thanks so much for the kind words, I appreciate it!

HH - wow, great link, thanks for that! I did check it out and I see they have the "blood and sand" which I featured awhile back. Neat! :)

Anonymous said...

I've never had an Elderflower Liqueur - how interesting, I'll have to definitely try it!

Anonymous said...

We had a decent Elderberry tree towering over the compost heap years ago. I actually got round to making Elderflower Champagne, it was okay, I drank it more as a matter of pride.

This cocktail sounds cool, but where in the hell do I get Elderflower liqueur in Brazil?

AV

aoife mc said...

Ack! I hate when boys do stuff like that!! You know...
Aoife: oh I really want to go to that museum sometime on a Sunday with you, whadya say?
Niall: yeah sure, that'd be nice.
(repeat 80 times)
Niall: I went into that museum today.
Aoife: WHAT?!?!?

Lol. Well, they always make up for it in the end somehow. I love elderflower and the drink looks lush!

stephchows said...

Too fun! I'd never even heard of the stuff!

Tangled Noodle said...

Tangled Noodle: "Diva says you should make me a Gin Blossom."
Mr. Noodle: "Sure." [Doesn't look up from his book.]

This drink will be made, I can promise you.

Astra Libris said...

Such a wonderful story, and a heavenly beautiful recipe!!

I'm so excited to tell you - Zach fixed your chicken burgers for our supper, and they are The Best burgers we've ever made!! Thank you for the incredible, scrumptious recipe!!

Daily Spud said...

Would you pretty please come over to my house and mix some cocktails - I'm always very thirsty :)

The Vintage Kitten said...

Ooh Diva that looks like my kinda drink. Ive got all the ingredients except strawberries, so I think I will have to go to the shops pronto and make one of these IMMEDIATELY! Now I just need to find a man who can mix one up for me!!! Mr K has it too good LOL! X

The Diva on a Diet said...

5 Star - I think you'd really like the elderflower liqueur ... its intriguing and delicious, and pairs well with so many things.

Argentum - wow, I'm impressed that you made your own elderflower concoction! I was under the impression that St. Germaine was an international brand ... do they not sell it in Brazil? Here, you can get it in any well-stocked liquor store.

Aoife - gah, your man does it too?! Funny, but not! LOL

Steph - I'm not sure its all that common, or perhaps its overlooked. Well worth the exploration though. Cheers!

Tangled Noodle - I'm LOLing at your conversation too. Men! ;)

Astra - oh, you've positively made my day. So, so glad you guys liked the burgers. Yay! Thanks so much for the ringing endorsement, I'm beaming. :)

Daily Spud - be careful what you wish for ... the husband and I were recently remarking on the cheap fares to Ireland. I may well hop that plane and make you a Gin Blossom!

Vintage Kitten - somehow I'm not surprised that you're already in possession of the elderflower liqueur. LOL and cheers!