A Floral Spring Highball

Spring is in the air, so why not put it in your drink? Floral ingredients add a new dimension to whisky cocktails while also softening the spirit’s potency, making it more approachable and highly compelling to your taste buds.

Take elderflower liqueur and rye whiskey. “Their flavors balance each other—rye is assertive, spicy, and dry, while elderflower is light and floral with a touch of sweet,” says Dan Snyder, beverage supervisor at Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown, New York.

His Daisy Cutter showcases this harmony, combining elderflower with chamomile tea. “These floral notes work with honey’s sweetness to complement rye’s spice,” he says. “Prosecco adds effervescence while lemon provides the acidity needed to brighten everything up." His choice of prosecco over club soda carries the floral theme throughout the entire drink.

The cocktail’s name is a nod to Cooperstown’s baseball heritage (a daisy cutter being a sharply hit ground ball that skims low enough to slice the tops off daisies) and the drink’s prominent floral notes. It’s spring training for your palate.

Daisy Cutter

• 1 1/2 oz. Rittenhouse (or other rye)
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. Giffard Fleur de Sureau Sauvage (or other elderflower liqueur)
• 1/2 oz. chamomile-honey syrup (recipe below)
• 3/4 oz. prosecco
• 1 edible flower for garnish

Combine whisky, lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, and chamomile-honey syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain over ice in a highball glass. Top with prosecco and garnish with flower.

Chamomile-Honey Syrup

• 3 chamomile tea bags
• 4 oz. hot water
• 4 oz. honey

In a small bowl or mug, steep tea bags in water for 6 minutes. Remove tea bags, add honey, and stir until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Strain into an airtight container. To use immediately, chill in an ice bath for 5 minutes while whisking the syrup. Store sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.