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For Bryan’s birthday dinner, I had a welcome cocktail ready for each guest to set the mood. You’ve been begging for the recipe, so here you go! Grapefruit Elderflower Sour – it has Empress Gin, St. Germain, floral notes, sour notes, sweet notes – everything you could want in a cocktail. This was honestly a huge hit. They loved it because this cocktail is just downright tasty and I loved it because it is so quick and easy to make.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Grapefruit Elderflower Sour
This cocktail is easy to make and even easier to drink – no joke! Empress Gin, St. Germain and the Grapefruit Elderflower Syrup, the combination of floral, sweet and sour is one of the best cocktails I’ve had.
Prep Like a Pro
Peel Before You Juice: Always peel your fruit before you cut and juice. It’s not easy vice versa, so don’t forget!
Massage the Sugar and Peels Well: You are wanting to release the peel’s oils into the sugar. You want it to look like wet sand before you add any liquid. This step gives it a floral-citrus taste so make sure you do it well!
Chill your Cocktail Glasses: Pop your cocktail glass in the freezer while you make your Grapefruit Elderflower Sour. Then you’ll have a nice and cold glass!
Fresh Egg Whites: Crack your eggs right before adding them to your shaker for the best foam! And yes, egg whites are safe! If it weirds you out, you can substitute the egg whites for foaming bitters.
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🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
I’ve been talking about a specific shaker on my social media. It is the one I made this Grapefruit Elderflower Sour cocktail in. Warning: It is expensive, but if you like making drinks, this thing is life-changing! It’s leak-proof, has an integrated jigger, is insulated so you have to shake it less, has a screw cap so it doesn’t jam or explode, and is huge so you can make more than one drink at a time! So check out this Elevated Craft Hybrid Cocktail Shaker!
Substitutions
- Egg Whites → You can substitute the egg whites for foaming bitters.
- Gin → If you aren’t a gin fan (I recommend trying Empress Gin before you fully commit to being a gin hater!), then you can use vodka or tequila instead.
- Grapefruit Juice → Blood oranges would also be a nice flavor for this gin sour. It won’t be as sour, but it will be delicious.
The Perfect Pairings
To pair with your Grapefruit Elderflower Sour, start your night off with a Crispy Phyllo Brie Bites appetizer. For your main, an Oven Braised Chuck Roast and Potato Mash with a Butter Lettuce Salad. End your night with Caramel Apple Bread Pudding.
Grapefruit Elderflower Sour: Questions Answered
Certainly, the egg whites are just at the frothy texture at the top and don’t affect the taste, so if you choose not to use them, you’ll still get the same great taste!
Yes, and it’s actually very common in mixology. When using fresh or pasteurized egg whites, the risk is very low, but if you are still worried about it, you can substitute the egg whites for foaming bitters.
You can make it up to one week ahead! Store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
Grapefruit Elderflower Sour
Equipment
- saucepan
- strainer
- container, for Grapefruit Elderflower Syrup
Ingredients
Grapefruit Elderflower Syrup
- 2 grapefruit, peels and 1 cup juice
- 1½ cup cane sugar
- 2-3 tbsp dried elderflower
- ½ cup water
Grapefruit Elderflower Sour
- 4 oz grapefruit juice, about 1 grapefruit
- 2 oz lemon juice
- 1½ oz elderflower simple syrup, adjust for sweetness
- 2 oz saint germain
- 4 oz gin, I suggest Empress Gin
- 2 tbsp egg white
Instructions
Grapefruit Elderflower Syrup
- Peel your grapefruit and roughly chop up the peels. Add to a saucepan with sugar and elderflower. Massage this all together to release the oils until it looks like wet sand. Add in water and grapefruit juice. Simmer on the stove till reduced by ⅓, stirring frequently. Turn the heat off and let steep in the saucepan for about 1 hour. Strain, pressing out as much of the liquid as you can. This should be enough for 8-10 cocktails.
Grapefruit Elderflower Sour:
- Dry Shake First (no ice): Add grapefruit juice, lemon juice, elderflower simple syrup, saint germain, gin and egg whites to a shaker with NO ice. Shake for 15 seconds.
- Regular Shake: Add in the ice, and shake for another 60-90 seconds.
- Serve with a dehydrated grapefruit as garnish and that is it!
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
