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Cocktail History
The Pollinator’s Paradise is a Sips From Scripts original cocktail that was created in 2023 for a cocktail tasting event at 200 Main Wine & Art Gallery in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Inspired by the wildflower fields that grow in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the recipe was meant to capture all of the floral flavors of spring and does so by using a floral vodka as the base spirit, adding in elderflower, lemon, honey, and lavender, and topping it all off with effervescent sparkling wine.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Vodka: This is a spirit made with florals, citrus, grains, vegetables or fruits, and alcohol. We used AMASS Botanic Vodka because it has a rich floral flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try STRYKK Not V*dka in place of the vodka.
Elderflower Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with elderflowers, citrus, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur because it’s high quality and has a fresh flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur.
Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with honey and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Lavender Bitters: This is a food product made with lavender buds, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Scrappy’s Bitters Lavender Bitters.
Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. We used La Marca Prosecco because it has a crisp and refreshing taste with floral notes. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine.
Dehydrated Lemon Wheel: This is a lemon slice that has been preserved through dehydration.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Pollinator’s Paradise has aromas of honey and lemon followed by a honey-sweetened floral and botanical flavor that is balanced out by sour lemon, and it finishes with an aftertaste of lemon, lavender, and lingering honey.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: It can be a little too easy for the cloying floral flavors in some drinks to become overly abundant, but the Pollinator’s Paradise manages to keep its balance very well, staying complex and dry enough to be delicious to essentially all palates. It easily earned five stars from us both!
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This drink was conceived largely to highlight AMASS Botanical Vodka because we wanted to use it for one of our cocktail events. The Pollinator’s Paradise certainly ended up being a showcase of florals but in a very tasteful way—not in the cloying, flowery, sweet way that comes a bit too easily to cocktails sometimes. And the top of sparkling wine adds just the right amount of bubbliness and lightness to make it crushable. This is a truly great drink, and I’d highly recommend mixing one up if you have the ingredients on hand. And if you don’t, your favorite gin will do in a pinch.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“As Alex noted, we made this recipe for a spring cocktail menu at one of favorite local wine shops, and it ended up being my favorite of the bunch by far. As Alex said, his goal was to create a drink around the floral AMASS Vodka, and other springtime flavors were a natural fit. This really does taste like a meadow of flowers springing up from the ground as the new season breaks. I really loved it.”
Recipe
Add vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, honey syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with dehydrated lemon wheel.
Ingredients
Directions
Add vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, honey syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Top with sparkling wine.
Garnish with dehydrated lemon wheel.
Make It a Mocktail: Use STRYKK Not V*dka in place of the vodka, Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur, and Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Floral Cocktails
If you like this floral-flavored cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
The Cherry Blossom: A sake and gin cocktail made with maraschino liqueur, grenadine, triple sec, lemon juice, and a cherry
Lavender Sour: A gin cocktail made with lemon juice, Green Chartreuse, lavender syrup, egg white, and dried lavender buds
The Garden Rose (Variation): A tequila and sparkling wine cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, strawberry syrup, lemon juice, rose water, and a strawberry rose
Final Say: A gin cocktail made with maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, lime juice, and a lime twist
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