Some drinks take ten ingredients, a cocktail shaker and a lot of technique.
This is not that drink.
The Sparkling Elderflower Spritz is two ingredients — elderflower cordial and sparkling water — plus ice and whatever you feel like using as a garnish. It takes two minutes, costs almost nothing to make per glass, scales to any number of guests effortlessly, and tastes like something you would pay twelve dollars for at a very good hotel.
Elderflower is one of those ingredients that does the heavy lifting entirely on its own. It is floral and delicate and complex in a way that is almost impossible to describe except to say that it tastes completely and unmistakably like spring. Diluted with quality sparkling water and poured over ice in a beautiful glass, it becomes a drink that feels expensive and intentional without requiring anything of you except a glass and two minutes.
This is the mocktail for people who say they cannot make mocktails. It is also the mocktail for people who can make anything but want something that requires nothing.
What You Need
Serves 1 · Time: 2 minutes
- 45ml (1.5 oz) elderflower cordial — Belvoir or Fever-Tree are both excellent (Find Belvoir elderflower cordial on Amazon →)
- 150ml (5 oz) sparkling water
- Ice
- Garnish options: cucumber rounds, lemon slices, edible flowers, or all three
How to Make It
- Fill your glass with ice. This is not optional — the drink needs to be very cold.
- Pour the elderflower cordial directly over the ice.
- Top with sparkling water. Pour slowly down the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles.
- Stir once, very gently.
- Add your garnish: a thin cucumber round, a lemon wheel, a few edible flowers, or a simple twist of lemon peel.
That is genuinely it!
3 Ways to Vary This Recipe
Add cucumber — muddle two cucumber slices before adding the elderflower cordial. The cucumber adds a cool, fresh note that makes the floral quality of the elderflower even more pronounced. This is the version that becomes a signature spring drink for anyone who tries it once.
Make it a party setup — this is the best mocktail for a self-serve spring bar. Set out a bottle of elderflower cordial, a bottle of chilled sparkling water (or two), a bucket of ice, a board of garnishes (cucumber, lemon, edible flowers), and a row of beautiful glasses. Add a small handwritten sign. Let guests pour their own. You have created a party bar with essentially no effort. (You can use these cute mini chalkboard signs! →)
Make it a sparkling elderflower lemonade — use half elderflower cordial and half fresh lemon juice as your base, then top with sparkling water. The lemon adds brightness and tartness that makes it feel more complex. This version is especially good served with food, where the plain elderflower spritz can be a little delicate alongside strong flavours.
What Glass to Use
The Elderflower Spritz looks most beautiful in a wine glass — the wide opening releases the floral aroma so you can smell it before you taste it, which is part of the experience with elderflower.
A vintage-style short tumbler or a ribbed glass also works beautifully and is more casual and everyday.
What it needs above all else is clarity — you want to see the bubbles rising and the garnish floating. Clear glass only.
(Find beautiful wine glasses and elegant tumblers for spring mocktails on Amazon →)
What to Serve It With
The delicacy of elderflower means it pairs best with equally light, clean flavours:
- Goat’s cheese with honey and walnuts on crostini
- Asparagus and lemon butter
- Smoked salmon
- Spring rolls or light Vietnamese food
- A cheese board leaning toward soft, mild cheeses
- Fresh spring salads with citrus dressings
- Simply: a warm afternoon with good company
The Ritual Tip
A bottle of elderflower cordial in your fridge is one of the most quietly useful things you can keep on hand in spring. It makes the Elderflower Spritz in two minutes, but it also elevates a plain sparkling water, improves a fruit salad, makes a better homemade lemonade, and can be stirred into yoghurt or cream for an elegant dessert topping. Buy one bottle and find seventeen uses for it.
→ More spring mocktails: 8 Spring Mocktail Recipes: The Complete Collection →
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