The Elegant Elderflower Cocktail
Today we’re thrilled to welcome comewecreate co-founders nick&bay for the second segment in our “Cocktail Occasions” series. The brainpower behind a seriously inspiring boutique culinary arts company, this duo knows a thing or two about the perfect mixed concoction. We’re convinced you’ll connect with nick&bay’s charming city-dwelling story and accompanying sweet drink for toasting the adventures ahead.
For anyone who has ventured to or read about Portland, Oregon, it comes as no surprise that this city is home to a vast array of colorfully creative and culinary-minded folks. We scour cookbooks and farmers’ markets and shops like Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma, but even we—as fellow foodies—were blown away by the sheer amount of unbelievable makings for craft cocktails that this city offers aspiring mixologists.
When we first moved from Orange County, California to a loft in the heart of the Pearl District just two months ago, we were in a state of culture shock. Since then, the kindness of the locals, beauty of the surrounding lush green landscape and sublime food scene have continued to surpass even our wildest expectations.
On our first evening in our new place, we ventured down the street to the local World Foods market, a family-owned specialty store which boasts an eclectic blend of homemade foods like fresh pasta and pickled cauliflower, local and imported artisan delights, Kombucha on tap, coffee growlers and even an in-store wine and beer bar (which allows you to sip on your Prosecco while you shop!). Only in a city like Portland could shop owners radically transform the simple act of venturing to the grocery store into a feast for the senses.
As we gallivanted around the store that first evening in our new city, exotic cocktail syrups and bitters were some of the first things to catch our eye. After a few more trips to the market, we finally decided what our first splurge of a cocktail concoction in our new home would be: a mixture of sparkling elderflower lemonade, lavender hibiscus syrup, lavender flowers and lemon zest mixed with vodka. It’s a drink that will make your guests swoon. We use Belvoir Fruit Farms’ Elderflower Pressé and RAFT’s Hibiscus Lavender syrup.
And we call it: The Elegant Elderflower!
It’s a floral and effervescent drink that’s easy to sip in the late-afternoon Saturday sunshine. It pairs exceptionally well with a fresh French baguette, rich cheddar cheese, sliced pears and a few fine friends. When we first tried this drink, we sat around a tall table in our kitchen looking out our window, admiring the steel bridge over the Willamette River and the early signs of spring in the park across the street. We listened to our new Fleetwood Mac album on our new olive green record player and watched the colors of the sunset take over the city skyline, painting it in a palette of coral and tangerine. We clinked glasses, realizing right then that every ounce of hard work up to that moment had culminated in actually making one of our first real dreams as adults come true: We were sitting in our own loft in the city, sipping a fancy cocktail, listening to records. And we were happy—very happy.
Wherever you find yourself enjoying this beverage, we wish you happiness, too—because that’s what this drink is about. Sending you a big cheers from near or afar!
Written and photographed by nick&bay of comewecreate
