Elderflower Collins

Our Elderflower Collins is host to some beautifully delicate floral and fruity flavours. Of course the distinctive flavour of Elderflower comes to the fore, but lemon juice and infused fresh cucumber provide balance to the palate and ensure it’s an incredibly refreshing drink. Not too sweet or fruity, the flavours are more subtle and invigorating — perfect to enjoy on a summer’s day.

1. Fill shaker with ice and add cocktail
2. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds
3. Fill tall glass with ice, strain cocktail, top with soda
4. Garnish with a slice of dried lemon

The Collins has a unique history. In 1874, New York pranksters were apparently initiating conversations with friends, that began with the question: ‘Have you seen Tom Collins’, quickly followed by a warning that this character had been insulting them and was waiting in a bar round the corner. The payoff would be the mortification of the gullible prankee asking for a Tom Collins, at which point the savvy bartender would serve them a drink of the same name to soothe their embarrassment. It’s more likely that the Collinses (Tom, John et al) were an evolution of the ‘Gin Punch’ recipe that dates from the early nineteenth century, with later derivatives being named to reflect the type of gin used. So, a Tom Collins would be made with ‘Old Tom’ (slightly sweetened) gin, while a John Collins would use London Dry gin. At Edmunds, our Elderflower Collins adds fragrant elderflower liqueur, infused with cucumber for a wonderfully fresh finish.

Our Elderflower Collins is made with Adnams Copper House Gin, charged with juniper, citrus, and floral notes. They use the finest East Anglian malted barley and six carefully selected botanicals in a small-batch copper pot still to craft this trophy-winning gin. Fruity notes of juniper and sweet orange peel sit alongside the floral flavours of hibiscus and classic aromatic London dry gin botanicals like cardamom and coriander seed. We pair this with Elderflower liqueur to give this drink its distinctive floral flavour, and for extra freshness, we infuse with cucumber. To complete the drink we add fresh lemon juice.