Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe

I've got just the thing for those looking for a refreshing sipper come springtime! This Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour is the perfect balance of floral botanical notes and delightful tartness - a delicious cocktail to enjoy as you welcome warmer days.

With fragrant lavender syrup complimenting subtle elderflower liqueur, combined with gin and fresh lemon juice, each sip will transport you. This festive and elegant cocktail will surely bring delight wherever it's served, whether at happy hour or brunch!

Elderflower and lavender are delicious in this delightful cocktail made with gin, elderflower liqueur, lavender simple syrup, lemon juice, and aquafaba. The subtle floral sweetness is balanced perfectly in a blend of flavors to take you from winter to spring.

Aquafaba, when shaken up, takes on a delicate, frothy texture that adds to the smoothness of this elegant cocktail that's perfect for your next special occasion!

I was inspired to create this cocktail recipe with lavender and elderflower, a variation on my Plum Ginger Gin Sour cocktail I made over the fall.

Serve this refreshing cocktail with these easy-to-make Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites for a delicious appetizer and cocktail combination!

Try this Hugo Spritz, Strawberry Elderflower Gin Fizz, or Blood Orange French 75 for more delightful cocktails!

What is a gin sour?

A classic cocktail, a traditional gin sour contains gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white. The sourness and tartness of the lemon juice complement the sweetness of the simple syrup, making the perfect balance of sweet and sour!

I have replaced simple syrup with lavender syrup in this delightful variation of a gin sour.

To make this recipe vegan, I replaced egg whites with aquafaba, the bean water from a can. Then, it's shaken up with the remaining ingredients to create foam. It's optional, but it adds a lot to the smoothness and elegance of this cocktail.

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you will need for this easy-to-make lavender simple syrup:

• Sugar - I used organic vegan cane sugar, which is vegan.
• Water
• Lavender - culinary dried lavender buds - I found mine locally at Natural Grocers. Be sure to use culinary lavender. You can find it locally at health food stores or online.

These are the ingredients you need to make the Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour cocktail:

• Gin - I used Empress 1908 Gin, a delicious gin. Find Empress Gin near you! This premium gin gets its all-natural unique indigo color from the infusion of butterfly pea flowers post-distillation. Feel free to use your favorite dry gin.
• Aquafaba - The high protein of this bean water from a can of chickpeas is a fantastic replacement for egg white in the classic recipe. Save the chickpeas for this Chickpea Quinoa Salad or Chickpea Tuna Salad.
• Elderflower liqueur - I used St. Germain.
• Lemon juice - fresh citrus juice is best. The tartness of the lemon complements the lavender syrup nicely!
• Lavender simple syrup (instructions are below) - a variation of simple syrup perfect for the coming of spring!
• Citrus for garnish, optional
• Lavender sprigs for garnish, optional. We grow lavender in a large pot in our yard!

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make this Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe

It's easy to make this variation of a gin sour cocktail. First, make the lavender simple syrup, let it cool, and then make the cocktail.

For the lavender simple syrup

This delicious recipe makes approximately a cup of lavender syrup.

• In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and lavender buds.
• Heat on medium and occasionally stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Remove from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

For the lavender elderflower gin sour cocktail

First, you will do a dry shake. Add all the ingredients without the ice to the cocktail shaker and shake to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Then, add the ice and shake again.

• Add the gin, aquafaba, lemon juice, and lavender simple syrup to a cocktail shaker.
• Shake for 30 seconds. Add a cup of ice, then shake again.
• Strain into a chilled coupe glass or your favorite cocktail glass.

• Garnish with lemon twists, if desired, or lavender sprigs. Want to know how to make lemon twist garnishes? Read on!

If skipping the aquafaba, skip the dry shake and shake with ice.

How to make a lemon twist

• Cut into the lemon rind with a swivel peeler or vegetable peeler, going around the entire lemon.
• Cut a rectangle approximately 5 to 6 inches long and an inch wide. Remove any excess pith.
• Cut a narrow strip approximately 5 mm wide (less than a quarter-inch). Wind it around something narrow like a cocktail stick and let it rest on a damp towel with something to lightly hold it in place, like a pinch bowl. After 15 minutes, your lemon twists should be good to go.

Note: You can make the lemon twists ahead of time. If you have any extras, keep them curled around the cocktail sticks and place them in an airtight container on a slightly damp paper towel. Refrigerate for up to one week, and you'll have lemon twists waiting for you when you need them!

Substitutions

• Aquafaba - if you don't have a can of chickpeas to get the bean water from, try a can of butter beans. I usually select a brand that has unsalted canned chickpeas. The aquafaba makes a lovely foam when shaken and adds an interesting visual element to the cocktail; it is optional!
• Gin - if you don't care for gin, use vodka instead.
• Elderflower liqueur - use elderflower syrup instead, such as Belvoir.
• Lemon juice - use lime juice instead, although lemon juice is classic.
• Lavender syrup - try simple syrup instead or agave nectar.
• Garnish - add a lime or orange twist to the rim of the glass instead of garnishing with lemon.

Variations

If you want this gin sour cocktail to be a bit sweeter or sourer, adjust the lavender simple syrup and lemon juice to your taste.

• Mocktail - skip the gin; replace it with sparkling water, soda water, ginger beer, or club soda.
• Angostura bitters - add a few drops on top of the foam. Or try lavender bitters! Orange bitters would be a lovely alternative.

See my autumn variation of a gin sour in this Plum Ginger Gin Sour!

Equipment

• Cocktail shaker - I love this hybrid cocktail shaker because I have no more freezing hands or leaks! The jigger is in the cap.
• Cocktail glasses such as coupe glasses or Nick and Nora glasses.
• Cocktail picks to wrap the citrus around- I love these elegant signature cocktail picks from Empress 1908 Gin!
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife or paring knife
• Citrus juicer
• Vegetable peeler

Storage

This Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour cocktail is best enjoyed right after it is made.

Store the lavender simple syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

FAQ

More Gin Cocktails

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this cocktail:

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! If you make this recipe, please take a moment to ★★★★★ star-rate it and leave a comment below. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and share your creation with me! Tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.

Recipe

Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour Cocktail Recipe

Emily Miller

This Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour is the perfect balance of floral botanical notes and delightful tartness. Fragrant lavender syrup complements subtle elderflower liqueur, combined with gin and fresh lemon juice for a delicious cocktail!

5 from 141 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 2 cocktails

Calories 140 kcal

Equipment

• Cocktail glass chilled
• Cutting board
• Paring knife or chef's knife
• citrus squeezer
• cocktail shaker
• vegetable peeler
• Empress 1908 Gin cocktail picks optional

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the lavender simple syrup

• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon culinary dried lavender buds

For the Elderflower Lavender Gin Sour

• ▢ 3 oz gin
• ▢ 1 oz elderflower liqueur
• ▢ 1 ½ oz lemon juice up to 2 oz
• ▢ 1 ½ oz lavender simple syrup see below
• ▢ 1 ½ oz aquafaba
• ▢ Ice
• ▢ 2 lemon twists garnish

Instructions

 

For the lavender simple syrup

• In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and lavender buds.
  1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon culinary dried lavender buds
• Heat on medium and occasionally stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Remove from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.

For the Lavender Elderflower Gin Sour

• Place gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, lavender simple syrup, and aquafaba in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds.
  3 oz gin, 1 oz elderflower liqueur, 1 ½ oz lemon juice, 1 ½ oz lavender simple syrup, 1 ½ oz aquafaba
• Add ice and shake for 30 seconds more. Pour into chilled coupe glasses. Garnish each glass with a lemon twist. ⁠ Cheers!
  Ice, 2 lemon twists

Notes

• This recipe makes approximately one cup of lavender simple syrup. Use extra simple syrup for moistening cake, in lattes, and more!
• Store the lavender simple syrup in the fridge for 2 to 4 weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cocktailCalories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 10.4gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSodium: 1.5mgSugar: 0.9g

Keyword 30-minute, brunch, cocktail, holiday

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Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.