Elderflower represented a shift in thinking for The Third Place Cocktail Co. The original product, Tonic, was designed to accentuate the flavor of world-class gins. Similarly, Ginger Rose was intended to replicate and complement the smokiness, heat, and complexity of small-batch whiskey. But vodka represented a new challenge: creating a product that needed to stand alone against the clean, neutral flavor of vodka.

It also represented an opportunity: the lenience to pull inspiration from the seemingly endless cannon of well-known cocktails, classic beverages and well used flavor combinations that exist on a global scale.

Finding a place to start, however, wasn’t difficult. Drawing inspiration from time spent in London on many a warm spring day, it was unanimous that elderflower needed to be the base for a tonic designed to totally stand alone. The goal, from there, was to keep things a little more simple: to compliment elderflower’s wonderful aroma and bright, distinct flavor with ingredients, botanicals and sweetness that shared common ground. Jasmine flowers are used, for example, with their delicate floral overtones. Fresh citrus is zested for every batch (as it is with all The Third Place Cocktail Co. products), and the best Earl Grey tea is combined to add notes of orange, lemon and bergamot.

8oz/237ml

Mixing Instructions:

Add 1 oz of The Third Place Cocktail Co., Elderflower to 2 oz of your favorite vodka (we prefer a small batch or craft variety) and 2 oz of fizzy water to a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir to combine.

Ingredients

Quinine (Cinchona Bark)

Native to Peru and Bolivia, and used medicinally for centuries by native South Americans, Quinine is derived from the bark of the Cinchona tree. British colonialists, stationed in India, can be credited with inventing the classic gin and tonic when they mixed spirits with their daily rations of Cinchona bark to fight malaria and lime to fight scurvy.

Quinine is the ingredient of most importance when making a balanced, bitter tonic and we source all natural, loose bark from Peru to make our tonic base or “bitter”. Although, Cinchona will add some sweetness and a nutty, vanilla fragrance, the primary flavor is palate drying, mouth puckering bitterness!

Citrus

Synonymous with classic cocktails of all forms, citrus has long been an important ingredient in the consumption and enjoyment of alcohol! In the days when spirits were of poor quality, citrus, sweetness and bitterness were not only enjoyable additions, they were vital components.

Using just the zest of the fruit, more of the essential oils found in the skin are extracted, imparting a far greater depth of flavor than if juices were added. Those oils, when allowed to mature, become far more complex and impart sweetness, bitterness, and sourness in equal measure.

Elderflowers

The name sake of The Third Place Cocktail Co.’s newest offering, elderflower might well represent one of the fasting growing flavor trends in North America. However, in Europe, where elderberry shrubs bloom throughout spring and summer, the flowers are used regularly in cordials, sodas, syrups, pastries and various other confections.

Elderflowers are, of course, floral, but with fruity aromas ranging from citrus (think kumquats and bergamot) to pears and ripe apples. There’s also a sweet smell, like that of fresh, natural honey. Elderflowers lend a subtle, floral and fruity sweetness and add a gorgeous aroma that’s noticeable as soon as you open the bottle!

Elderberries

In an effort to further develop the layers of flavor in the Elderflower Tonic, The Third Place Cocktail Co. also adds Elderberries. Different entirely from the delicate, taste and scent of the flowers, the ripe, black elderberries bring a tart and tangy fruit flavor that comes just up to the edge of bitterness and then takes a step back.

Yarrow Root

Yarrow’s history as an ingredient in the consumption of alcohol is a long one! Before hops were a popular addition to the brewing of beer, Northern Europeans would use various parts of the plant such as roots and leaves to deliver the requisite tannins and bitterness their brews required. In Elderflower Tonic, the same is delivered.

Jasmine Flowers

Jasmine might be one of the most powerful flowers in the world! Often cultivated in private homes throughout the Asian continent, the flowers are used in wedding ceremonies, as important symbols at religious sites and in the manufacturing of perfumes and fragrances. Moreover, the flower has even lent its name to political revolutions in North Africa and China!

But Jasmine’s flavor isn’t powerful! It’s complex, but very delicate and its subtle floral overtones make it a wonderful partner for the citrus in the Elderflower Tonic.

Lemongrass

Like Cinchona bark, lemongrass has a long history of use as a medicinal ingredient. Indigenous Australians used lemongrass to treat skin irritations and wounds, and in parts of the Caribbean, native islanders used it to make “fever tea” for the treatment of stomach ailments and headaches.

Lemongrass further develops the refreshing profile of our tonic with notes of mint and ginger and you’re nose is sure to pick up its delicate, floral fragrance and fresh, grassy aroma.

Earl Grey Tea

Bold and full-bodied black tea is paired with perfectly sweet, sour, bitter and floral citrus in this typically British flavored tea! Bergamot, with a citrus profile that runs the full gamut from orange to lime and lemon to grapefruit, is thought to be derived from crossing the bitter, Seville orange with a sweet lemon/lime hybrid. The scientific explanations aside, Earl Grey adds malty, bold black tea flavor with a less than subtle citrus aroma. It’s the perfect companion to elderflowers!

Juniper Berries

Because all vodka should taste more like gin.