Gin · Highball · Herbaceous
Elderflower Collins Recipe
Tom Collins' floral twin, with St-Germain elderflower liqueur standing in for syrup and a crackle of soda doing the rest. Bright lemon and crackling soda keep this Collins crisp, while St-Germain folds in a honeyed, floral sweetness that never tips into cloying. It's an easy, low-effort sipper for warm-weather porches, brunches and garden parties.
- Prep Time
- 1.5 min
- Method
- Shaken
- Glass
- Collins glass
- Strength
- Light
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested for taste and balance before it's published.
Last updated October 20, 2026
About the Elderflower Collins
The Elderflower Collins is a modern riff on the 19th-century Tom Collins that swaps the classic simple syrup for elderflower liqueur, most often St-Germain, which launched in 2007 and quickly became a favorite bar modifier. Bartenders adapted the collins template almost immediately, using the liqueur's honeyed sweetness to give the gin classic a floral, herbaceous new identity.
This Collins follows a 2:1:1 build: two parts gin, one part elderflower liqueur and one part fresh lemon juice, lengthened with soda water. It's the same skeleton as a Tom Collins, but St-Germain's floral sugar stands in for plain simple syrup, so sweetness and aroma arrive in the same pour instead of two.
Ingredients
- Gin1 ½ oz
- Elderflower liqueur (St-Germain)¾ oz
- Fresh lemon juice¾ oz
- Soda water3 oz , to top
Method
- Measure and pour the gin, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice into the shaker tin.
- Add ice to the shaker tin.
- Shake for 15 seconds.
- Fill a Collins glass with ice.
- Strain the cocktail into the Collins glass.
- Top with soda water.
- Cut a fresh lemon wheel.
- Place the lemon wheel and a mint sprig on top of the drink.
Glass & Garnish
Collins glass, filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Notes
A lemon wheel and a mint sprig finish it, in the style of a classic Tom Collins.
Tools Used
Affiliate links
As an Amazon Associate, Sipped Right earns commission from qualifying purchases made via links on this website, at no extra cost to you.
FAQ
- Can I batch an Elderflower Collins for a party?
- Pre-mix the gin, elderflower liqueur and lemon juice in the 2:1:1 ratio above — for example 750ml gin, 375ml St-Germain and 375ml lemon juice serves about a dozen drinks. Refrigerate that base, then add ice and top with soda water per glass at serving time, since carbonation and dilution won't hold in a pre-batched pitcher.
- What can I use instead of St-Germain elderflower liqueur?
- Any elderflower liqueur or cordial works in place of St-Germain — Giffard, Belvoir or a supermarket elderflower cordial all substitute cleanly, though a non-alcoholic cordial is less sweet, so add a touch more to taste. Elderflower liqueur defines this drink, so skipping it turns the cocktail into a plain Tom Collins.
- What's the best gin for an Elderflower Collins?
- A classic London Dry gin, such as Beefeater, Tanqueray or Gordon's, keeps juniper up front so it doesn't disappear under the elderflower's sweetness. A softer, more floral contemporary gin also works well if you'd rather the botanicals and elderflower blend together; just avoid heavily citrus-forward gins, which crowd out the lemon.
- Are there variations on the Elderflower Collins?
- Popular twists include adding a splash of simple syrup for extra sweetness, swapping the soda water for chilled prosecco or champagne to make an Elderflower Champagne Cocktail, or muddling in cucumber and fresh mint for an Elderflower Cucumber Collins. Each keeps the core gin, elderflower and lemon backbone intact.
- What garnish works best for an Elderflower Collins?
- A thin lemon wheel and a fresh mint sprig are the standard finish, added on top of the ice for aroma and color. Some bartenders swap in an edible flower or a few elderflower blossoms in season for a more decorative look, but lemon and mint remain the most consistently documented garnish.
- Where does the Elderflower Collins come from?
- It's a modern variation on the 19th-century Tom Collins, created after St-Germain elderflower liqueur launched in 2007 and bartenders began swapping it in for the original's simple syrup. It spread quickly across seasonal cocktail menus soon after St-Germain's debut.
Related Cocktails
Gin
Basil Smash
Muddled fresh basil and gin, shaken with lemon — the drink that put basil behind the bar.
Gin
Butterfly Effect
Starts deep blue. Squeeze the lime — it shifts to indigo-purple, right in the glass.
Gin
Tom Collins
Tall, bright, and built for a warm evening — gin, lemon, soda, done.
Gin
Gin Fizz
A Collins' shorter, foamier cousin — same bones, a proper shake, no dilution wasted.