An elderflower liqueur is a sweet, floral, and aromatic spirit made by macerating or infusing elderflowers (the small white blossoms of the Sambucus nigra plant) into a base alcohol—often neutral spirit or brandy—then blending with sugar to create a smooth, lower-ABV liqueur.

We started Terrativo Nectar by producing a gin in the Austrian Alps, using Italian juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, as well as Austrian rosemary, ginger, nutmeg, and a number of other botanicals and spices. We then rested the gin for a year before macerating it with Austrian elderflower and more Italian lemon peel. After filtering it, we sweetened the mixture and brought down the proof to create a light, bright, refreshing elderflower and lemon aperitif with complexity and character from the gin spirit base.

The beautiful golden color comes entirely from the organic elderflowers. All of the other infusions are done prior to distillation of the gin, so the color is left behind. Then we infuse the blossoms into the gin to extract the delicate floral aroma and golden ‘nectar’ color.

Spritzes!

Elderflower nectar works beautifully in all your bright, floral cocktails, but our favorite is the Rhinestone Spritz

1 ½ oz Terrativo Elderflower Nectar

2 oz Sparkling Wine

2 oz soda water

Ice

Mint for ganish