A couple of weeks ago, I placed an order with the Wild Irish Foragers and Preservers for some of their amazing syrups: Gorse Flower, Rosehip (excellent for everything including keeping away the sniffles)  and Elderberry Syrups.   As with many things like this that I buy, I am purchasing more out of curiosity than anything else!  A phase of experimentation will always follow with much excitement!

Now, the obvious thing to do with syrups is to throw it over homemade desserts, excellent ice cream and so forth. But as I admired the beautiful deep purple colour of the Elderberry Syrup, I decided I wanted to do something really rather grown up with it.  If in doubt, make a cocktail!

Taking advantage of the late season blood oranges, vodka and the syrup I decided to mix up this simple but delightful concoction.  What I would say is this, do what you can to get the vanilla sugar, and if you can’t find any simple put an opened vanilla bean pod into some golden caster or icing sugar and seal it in a glass jar.  The mellow sweetness of the vanilla is very important to the overall success of this cocktail!

Ingredients:

• 1 Martini Glass
• 1 super ripe and sweet blood orange, juice of
• 35ml of excellent quality vodka (we are using Irish measures here – don’t be afraid!)
• 15ml of Elderberry Syrup (buy it here)
• dusting of vanilla sugar

Method:

• Squeeze all the juice from the  blood orange into a cocktail shaker
• Using the discarded orange skin, coat the rim of the glass with the remnants of the blood orange juice
• On a plate, pour out a little of the vanilla sugar and generously coat the rim of the cocktail glass (the orange juice helping to keep it in place)
• To the cocktail sugar add the vodka and Elderberry Syrup.
• Add a handful of ice cubes, put the lid on and shake furiously until all well combined.
• Pour into the glass, and add a garnish of orange peel.
• Sip, do your happy dance and repeat…

ENJOY….!