Elderflower Gin & Tonic

by Katherine Knight
16 August, 2020
3 min read

Elderflower Gin & Tonic

Medicinal roots and modern sophistication join for fun floral refreshment

We love elderflower gin cocktails. We think Elderflower and Gin go together like... well, Gin and Tonic. So this cocktail recipe for Elderflower Gin and Tonic is on repeat in our house through the summer - it is a light, refreshing twist on an old classic.

We usually recommend enjoying your Elderflower Gin and Tonic, outside on the back porch with friends and family. And while we know that is good for the soul, it is also interesting to note that Elderflower Cordial and Gin & Tonics have a shared history in medicine.

Be cordial

While most people associate the word cordial with sweet alcoholic dessert beverages, historically cordial was also used to describe sweet syrupy medicinal concoctions. The Commonhealth Elderflower Cordial falls under the latter description and does not contain any alcohol, so it can be added to almost any drink for sweetness and floral complexity. Elderflowers have a unique and delicate flavor that we love, and they have long been used in herbal medicine traditions for their potential anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.

I love adding our Elderflower Cordial to the traditional Gin and Tonic.

This Elderflower Gin & Tonic is a unique, summertime twist on a classic gin cocktail. Elderflowers have a delicate floral flavor that we love, and complement the gin's botanical flavor perfect. Our Elderflower Gin & Tonic is simple and sophisticated.

A brief history of Gin and Tonic

The Gin and Tonic, like America, itself has British imperial roots. Born out of the desire for a more palatable method to dose their bitter malaria drug, quinine, British soldiers combined the malaria drug with gin, sugar, and tonic water.

While these original G&Ts were much more potent in the quinine department, today’s tonic water still contains small amounts of the drug, and gives Gin and Tonic its signature bitter backbone. Similar to the United States, the British did not hold on to the Gin and Tonic for very long and its popularity quickly spread all over the world.

A more sophisticated Gin and Tonic with the addition of one ingredient

The Gin and Tonic remains one of the world’s favorite cocktails, myself included, and is most widely sipped in the summertime. It just so happens that elderflowers are in full bloom throughout the summer months, so it only makes sense to combine the two. The result of this summertime union is one of the most refreshing and easy to drink cocktails that you will ever come across.

The Commonhealth Elderflower G&T is simple, sophisticated, and will please most any palate. I’ve had many folks tell me, after some convincing to try our signature elderflower gin cocktail, that they normally hate gin, but “this is so good”, and then they proceed to drink three of them.

You can dress up our elderflower gin cocktail for the fanciest of cocktail parties in elegant glasses with interesting garnishes, or just take my approach and throw it in a mason jar with an extra heavy pour of gin and Commonhealth Elderflower Cordial.