20 Delightful St. Germain Elderflower Cocktails

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/10/21
White Cosmo Cocktail With Sugared Cranberry Garnish

The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur that makes it easy to add a sweet, floral taste to cocktails. This versatile spirit mixes well with everything from Champagne and white wine to gin, vodka, and whiskey. Elderflower cocktails are absolutely delightful to drink, perfect for any occasion, and a fantastic change from the ordinary.

While many of these recipes are fascinating modern creations, elderflower-flavored drinks are nothing new. Elderflower cordials and syrups have long made an appearance in drinks, both alcoholic and not. This is particularly true in the United Kingdom, where the tiny white flowers flourish, and homemade cordials are a summer tradition. With its 2007 release, St. Germain (pronounced san-jer-man; 20 percent ABV, 40 proof) gave the flower a global spotlight. The French liqueur with an eau-de-vie base made the flavor accessible to all and is essential for the modern bar.

  • 01 of 20

    Elderflower Cocktail

    Elderflower Cocktail Recipe With Champagne

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    The iconic elderflower cocktail is a brilliant start to your floral drink journey. It's delicate, sparkling, and elegant. Plus, the recipe requires just three ingredients: St. Germain, Champagne or white wine, and club soda. Incredibly simple, it's a signature cocktail of the liqueur and one you'll want to share with everyone you know.

  • 02 of 20

    St. Germain Champagne Cocktail

    St. Germain Champagne Cocktail

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    A simpler version with the same charming taste, this St. Germain cocktail recipe skips the soda and ice. It uses St. Germain and sparkling wine alone, serving them up in a flute for an elegant presentation. A great alternative to mimosas and bellinis for brunch, it's also an easy cocktail to make for any celebration.

    Elderflower Liqueurs Beyond St. Germain

    St. Germain is not the only elderflower liqueur you can buy. Rather, it's the best-known and easiest to find. Look for elderflower liqueurs from brands such as Bols, Fluer, St. Elder, and The Bitter Truth to see how they compare. Nonalcoholic elderflower cordials are a good substitute as well.

  • 03 of 20

    French Pear Martini

    French Pear Martini

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    The French pear martini is another shining example of St. Germain mixed with Champagne. The sparkling wine-elderflower combo is accented with pear-infused vodka to create a lovely vodka martini. It's a fantastic addition to a summer dinner party.

  • 04 of 20

    Waterloo Sunset

    Waterloo Sunset Cocktail

    The Spruce / Karen Hibbard

    Combine the stunning visual of the tequila sunrise with the elderflower cocktail, and you have the dramatic Waterloo sunset. The recipe begins with gin and elderflower liqueur topped with sparkling wine. Pouring raspberry liqueur ​over a bar spoon fills the flute with elegant, sparkling layers that will impress anyone.

    Continue to 5 of 20 below.
  • 05 of 20

    White Cosmo

    White Cosmo Cocktail With Sugared Cranberry Garnish

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    Vodka is one of the best liquors for elderflower cocktails because its neutral flavor allows the floral liqueur to shine. The duo is featured in this white cosmo recipe, though you'll want to pick up a citrus vodka and use white cranberry juice with fresh lemon juice. Sugar-dusted cranberries give this spin on the original cosmopolitan a festive pop of color.

  • 06 of 20

    Cherub's Cup

    Studio shot of fruit cocktails
    Jamie Grill / Getty Images

    The cherub's cup is a delightful little cocktail featuring the perfect pairing of elderflower and strawberries. It's a pretty pink drink made with muddled strawberries, vodka, and sparkling rosé wine, and equally fabulous with gin. Either way, you won't forget its well-balanced flavor anytime soon.

  • 07 of 20

    Basil-ica

    Basil-ica Cocktail
    Alexandra Grablewski / Photodisc / Getty Images

    A beautifully flavored cocktail, the basil-ica recipe shows off elderflower's mixability. For this cocktail, you'll begin by muddling lemon and syrup with fresh basil, add Plymouth Gin, then a little elderflower. Two styles of bitters finish off the botanical masterpiece in spectacular fashion.

  • 08 of 20

    Eye Candy

    Eye Candy Cocktail

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    The eye candy cocktail offers a snap of amazing flavors that are sure to wake up your senses. The recipe pairs gin and St. Germain with lemon juice and simple syrup. With fresh ginger and mint, things get really interesting, while a splash of soda gives it new vitality.

    Continue to 9 of 20 below.
  • 09 of 20

    Green Gin Giant

    JKF in NYC's Green Gin Giant Cocktail Recipe

    Amy Neunsinger / The Image Bank / Getty Images

    The green gin giant is a winner on many fronts, especially if you love bringing the garden into your bar. It features the cucumber profile of Hendrick's Gin with a muddle of fresh cucumber, basil, and mint. Top it with grapefruit soda, and enjoy the spoils of your green thumb.

  • 10 of 20

    For the Record

    Cory Mendonca's For the Record Cocktail

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    Called "for the record," this is an impressive drink that takes a bolder fruit approach to the elderflower cocktail. The recipe will also introduce you to a strawberry-lime hard cider and a grenadine-like liqueur. Its taste is worth hunting down the ingredients.

  • 11 of 20

    Cranberry Elderflower Champagne Punch

    Cranberry Elderflower Champagne Punch

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios 

    When you have a party to plan, the cranberry elderflower Champagne punch is sure to please any crowd. It's simple, fruity, and refreshing. Elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine are the only alcoholic beverages, so it's light, too. Mix the still ingredients in advance, then add the wine and soda just before serving to save time.

    12 Best Champagne Punch Recipes Champagne Punch
  • 12 of 20

    Melon Ball Drop

    Melon Ball Cocktail

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    The melon ball drop is uncomplicated, intriguing, and you might already have everything you need in the bar. A melon liqueur takes center stage in this recipe, giving the drink its sweet flavor and green color. That's accented with citrus vodka, elderflower liqueur, and a hint of lemon to create a satisfying and fun green martini.

    Continue to 13 of 20 below.
  • 13 of 20

    Old Thyme Sour

    Old Thyme Sour Cocktail With Irish Whiskey

    Westend64 / Getty Images

    The old thyme sour is a modern drink filled with classic style that pairs Irish whiskey with elderflower liqueur. Accented with fresh thyme, a homemade cinnamon-thyme syrup, Green Chartreuse, and optional egg white, this new take on the whiskey sour is both fascinating and refreshing.

  • 14 of 20

    Peach Punch

    Peach Punch
    Lisa Hubbard / Photolibrary / Getty Images

    Serve it as a single cocktail or build it into a punch; this recipe is going to delight your taste buds either way. The peach punch showcases an affordable and impressive peach vodka mixed with fresh lime and orange juices and elderflower liqueur. It's a snap to mix up and even easier to drink.

  • 15 of 20

    Skeleton Key

    Skeleton key cocktail recipe

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    When you're ready for a bold cocktail, try the skeleton key. Designed for Halloween, this mix of bourbon, St. Germain, and ginger beer has a bloody surprise. To finish off the snappy whiskey cocktail, you'll add more bitters than you'd dare for any other drink. While unusual, it works out rather well.

  • 16 of 20

    Sparkling Shamrock

    Sparkling Shamrock Cocktail

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    There's a special elderflower cocktail for St. Patrick's Day as well. The sparkling shamrock combines pear vodka and St. Germain, but this time in a tall, refreshing highball. Cucumber, mint, and either lemonade or club soda round out the recipe, creating a brilliant collection of flavors perfect for any season.

    Continue to 17 of 20 below.
  • 17 of 20

    Pot of Gold

    Pot of Gold Vodka and Elderflower Martini

    jackmalipan / iStock / Getty Images Plus

    The pot of gold cocktail relies on that stunning cucumber-mint-elderflower combination, too. Those refreshing garden flavors are an intriguing contrast to a snappy ginger beer. Maintain the vodka cocktail's balance of flavors, and it will become a new favorite.

  • 18 of 20

    Aura In Me

    Aura in Me Cocktail With Cardamom and Pink Peppercorn

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    The aura in me recipe comes from the Greek islands and one imaginative bartender's flavor experiments. Genever forms the cocktail's base, elderflower syrup adds a floral touch, while pine honey controls the sweetness, and egg white brings in its signature foam. Despite all that, it is the pink pepper and cardamom that make this cocktail a showstopper.

  • 19 of 20

    Pretty in Pink

    Pretty In Pink Cocktail With Elderflower Liqueur

    The Spruce

    Pretty in pink is an appropriate name for this simple yet charming vodka cocktail. Inside the sugar-rimmed glass, you'll find fresh grapefruit and lemon juices, and elderflower liqueur. The rosemary garnish infuses it with flavor as you drink, and it's tall enough to pour into two glasses when you want to share.

  • 20 of 20

    Light Flight

    Light Flight Cold Brew Coffee Cocktail

    The Spruce

    If you haven't tried the invigorating combination of coffee and tonic water, you are missing out on a real treat. The light flight cocktail takes that dynamic duo a step farther with the addition of two starkly contrasting liqueurs: elderflower liqueur and Fernet-Vallet. The latter is a cardamom-heavy version of fernet that's as dark as coffee. Surprisingly, it's well-suited to this particular cocktail.