Sambucus

• 1.5 oz. Elderflower Rum
• 0.75 oz. Aperol
• 0.25 oz. St. Germaine
• 0.25 oz. lemon juice

Shake with ice. Strain into a coupe and garnish with lemon twist.

When you think floral cocktails, chances are you will think St. Germaine. The genus of the elderflower is sambucus, so that’s the name of the drink here. I started with a rum infused with elderflower, itself sweetened, so then only added a little dash of St. Germaine, which opened up the floral flavor a little more. The Aperol is there for some bitterness (and always makes a lovely color) and the lemon juice for acid. I love lemon and Aperol as a combination — one of the few times I enjoy lemon in a drink.

It is curious to me that of all the floral flavors, elderflower is the one with the most available ingredients I found — St. Germaine, an elderflower rum, an elderflower gin, two other liqueurs (and an elderberry cordial, though I guess that doesn’t count). I had never even heard of elderflower before St. Germaine. Just shows you what one popular product can open up. Almost makes you want to go out and start sampling the rest of the garden. Almost.