The Best Elderflower Liqueur – 7 Bottles Tasted, 1 Winner

What is elderflower? Before St. Germain hit the scene in 2007, it wasn’t a flower I gave much thought to, but after that moment in time, the cocktail world changed forever.

Elderflower is a product harvested from the elder tree (Sambucus), which is a shrub that grows widely across Europe and the U.S. The white flowers of the tree are abundant and evoke aromas and flavors (when used to infuse food and drink) that can be heavily perfumed and/or quite fruity — with lychee the most commonly cited note. Elderflower is also often used in teas.

Elderflower is easily confused with elderberry, which also grows on the elder tree. These dark, purplish berries naturally have a more dominant flavor which can be fruity but also woody and bitter, depending on when they are harvested. While elderflower is usually light and summery, elderberry can be much more intense.

While the prominence of St. Germain has risen and fallen several times over the last 20 years following an endless cycle of backlash and resurgence, it remains a constant on cocktail menus both simple and luxe. There’s good reason for it: A dash of elderflower liqueur can immediately give a cocktail a lively sweetness, a rush of fruit, a whiff of fresh flowers, or all of the above. There’s a reason it’s become known as “bartender’s ketchup,” though the term is often used as a pejorative to imply a mixologist has become a bit lazy with his creation.

I loved St. Germain when it was released and I still think it’s a quality product, and I have no personal bias for or against it: I’m just as likely to order a cocktail with elderflower as an ingredient as one without. The question now is, given nearly two decades of change, is St. Germain still the best way to get elderflower into your drink?

For this roundup, I attempted to gather up all the elderflower liqueurs on the market (save for various private label offerings like you’ll find at outlets like Total Wine) and ended up with seven bottlings. There are more out there, and if we eventually receive them, we’ll add them to this roundup as they arrive — though those additions necessarily won’t be tasted blind as these were.

Again, these liqueurs were tasted as blindly as possible — though one is purple in hue and one is clear, which made their identities rather obvious. All were tasted both neat and in a modified Hugo Spritz, with only Prosecco as a mixer. The results of the tasting are presented in order of preference. Enjoy!

The Best Elderflower Liqueurs, Ranked

1. St. Elder Elderflower Liqueur

Boston-based St. Elder got its start as an elderflower liqueur producer and despite now making many other liqueurs, they all still bear the St. Elder name. Ingredients stated only include fresh elderflower blossoms. The moderate gold liqueur straddles the line between fruit and florals beautifully, its refreshing peach-lychee palate offering some acidity, a surprising touch of green herbs, and a hint of citrus. It’s not too sweet, with a mix of vanilla and orange peel arriving in time for a complex finish. Never blown out in any one direction, St. Elder offers a study in balance that works beautifully on its own, and it was even better in our test spritz, pouring on flavors I didn’t find in other renditions of the drink. 40 proof. A / $25

2. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

The original from France, in the deco bottle, pours a lighter shade of gold than first expected. The nose is very pretty and, I dare say, unmistakable, its overwhelming aroma of lychee and pineapple considerably more overtly fruity than anything else in this lineup — by a wide margin. Florals take a distant back seat on the nose but are more evident on the palate. That said, the fruit is so effusive and rich that the liqueur comes across as laced in caramel and honey, making for an experience so sweet it had me thinking of baklava after a few sips. St. Germain is downright in your face, which is probably why it is so well-loved; however, it’s certainly too much on its own, clearly designed for cocktails where a splash can have a massive impact. I liked a spritz with St. Germain (or St-Germain, if you like) better than most of the competition if for no other reason than it offered a bounty of flavor in the mix. If you want immediate impact in any drink, St. Germain remains the liqueur to beat. 40 proof. A- / $30 [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

3. Violet Crown Spirits Elderflower Liqueur

This small company is based in Bastrop, Texas, and it makes its liqueur with Texas-grown jasmine, elderflower essence, and lemon. The color is distinctive (which makes it obvious in a blind tasting) due to the addition of 1% elderberry juice. So are the aromatics and flavor profile: The liqueur has a sweet and somewhat indistinct berry aroma, somewhere between strawberry and currant. The palate folds in blueberry and cherry notes, along with lighter (yet distinct) floral elements. This is one of the most fruit-forward of the liqueurs in this lineup, and that’s not a bad thing, though if you want that exotic florality and a clear lychee character, it’s probably not the best choice. Solid in a spritz, too. 40 proof. A- / $25

4. Bols Elderflower Liqueur

Made in the U.S., this is a budget option with unclear ingredients, though the online errata does cite that it’s made from the blossoms of the elder tree. Light gold in color and notably lower in abv than the standard 40 proof in this category, it’s quite floral and perfumed, though it manages to stay shy of becoming soapy. Sweetness is surprisingly moderated, with layers of lychee tempered by honey, vanilla, and some lemon custard. Agreeable on its own and in a spritz. 34 proof. B+ / $16 [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR]

5. Giffard 1885 Non-Alcoholic Elderflower

This bright gold alcohol-free elderflower liqueur is made in France, made using a shrub technique that employs vinegar to give the liqueur some bite. It works fairly well for an NA offering (though I liked it less this time around when comparing it to standard liqueurs), with a very sweet body that melds lychee with white grape flavors — the latter particularly heavy on the nose. It’s a credible concoction, but the vinegary undertones become dominant the more you sip on it. I found it got lost quickly in a spritz. B / $25

6. Rock Town Craft Cordials Elderflower Liqueur

Made in Little Rock, Arkansas from elderflower and honey. If you really want floral overtones — and I mean really want them — this is the liqueur for you. The translucent, clear liqueur is overwhelming with potpourri on both nose and palate, giving the liqueur a very soapy quality that’s hard to shake. That dried flower note even muscles its way through a spritz, dominating the drink. 40 proof. C / $15

7. Giffard Wild Elderflower Liqueur

The only surprise in this lineup — and a huge one — was the dismal showing of Giffard’s standard elderflower liqueur, given how incredible most of its liqueur lineup is. This extremely bright, almost orange liqueur boasts that it is made from wild elderflowers in France, but the nose of the liqueur comes across as pungent and rather artificial, with chemical overtones. The palate is overwhelming with potpourri and peach ring candies, with an earthy, almost muddy aftertaste that’s surprisingly unpleasant. It’s marginally better in a spritz, probably because there’s just less of it you have to deal with. Shocking. 40 proof. C- / $30 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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