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A drink for right now: try this bright, tangy and lower-alc twist on the Tom Collins.
About the cocktail
If you’ve ever worked around bars in Sydney, you would have heard of, met or even shared a laugh/cheap tinny with Charlie Lehmann. A man who doesn't need much of an intro (his bars do that for him), Charlie is one of the fab bartenders who co-own two of Sydney’s most-beloved cocktail venues, Ramblin Rascal and Double Deuce Lounge. Tongue in cheek, fun and unpretentious, we’re stoked Charlie collaborated with us on our next cocktail, the bright and tangy Elderflower Lemon Sour. A twist on the classic Tom Collins, Charlie’s Elderflower Lemon Sour is refreshing, light on the alc and perfect for the warmer seasons. “If this cocktail were a movie character, it’d definitely be Jennifer Coolidge as Stifler’s mum [in American Pie],” laughs Charlie. “Bubbly, but sexy.” And honestly, we’re not mad at it. As you know, here at Dan’s we love simple cocktails, and this is as simple as they come. A bunch of fresh and floral ingredients banged together in a frozen mug – although you will need to allow for time in the freezer, so a little planning is still in order. “It's just so refreshing,” says Charlie. “And because of that, it pairs perfectly with an Aussie summer – well-balanced but not overly sweet.” Just St Germain or any elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and frozen lemon cubes topped with a good sparkling water. “Batch it in a jug, and throw on some Mariah Carey – specifically ‘Heartbreaker’, and have a boogie,” suggests Charlie. In terms of food pairings, Charlie is all in on a big fruit salad and some bougie prawn cocktails, or failing that, a nice Sat’dy arvo barbie. If none of that is hitting the spot? “Fried chicken is hands down the greatest pairing for any cocktail or drink, period,” claims Charlie. Also, hard agree. If you’d like to mix up a batch of Mariah-Carey-inducing Elderflower Lemon Sours, then have a gander at Charlie’s tips below.
Watch: How to make an Elderflower Lemon Sour
Ingredients
40mL elderflower liqueur
25mL lemon juice Frozen cubes of fresh lemon Sparkling water to top
Method
Chop one lemon in half, and then into 6 cubes with skin on Place cubed lemon in mug and pop into the freezer either overnight or 3-4 hours Add elderflower liqueur and lemon juice into the frozen mug Top with sparkling water add ice cubes and stir
Charlie’s top tips
This is a simple drink, but there are a few things you can do to make it your fave spring/summer cocktail. The first is to “cut and freeze your lemons so your drink stays cold,” explains Charlie. When you have a drink that is a sweeter style, it's important to ensure it's cold enough, but also has the right dilution. The frozen lemon pieces will keep the drink cold, while the additional cubes will give it the right amount of water to balance those great but big sweet flavours. The second? If you’re not into lemons or lemony flavours, you're on the wrong side of 2024 (soz, read more about it here). However, you can change your citrus to suit your tastebuds. “Switch out your lemon for other citrus such as lime or grapefruit and let it play with the notes in the elderflower liqueur,” Charlie suggests. Lastly, as suggested (and very Stifler’s mum-coded), chuck on that shameless Mariah jam, and have an Elderflower get-down.
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