Medicinal Elderberry Syrup Cocktail Adventure

The fear of coronavirus was palpable in Portland, Oregon.

Friends told us that the dim sum place where we took turns nabbing bite-sized wonders was normally twice as full. Famed Taiwanese dumpling restaurant Din Tai Fung didn’t have a wait. Even the Portland Japanese Garden had ample parking on a Sunday.

Much though I dislike crowds, this was thoroughly disheartening. Frankly, my bigger concern was catching a stupid cold from someone coughing near me on the plane. When I admitted as much to our friend Carol, she said that she swears by elderberry syrup to boost resistance.

The scientific literature on elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is fairly limited, but what little exists pointed to some positive effects. Guillaume had caught a cold from our trip and my nose was already running so I invested in a 4-ounce bottle of the syrup.

The bright purple liquid did seem to speed recovery somewhat, but more important than that was its pleasant concentrated blackcurrant flavor. My immediate thought: “What kind of cocktail can I make with this?”

I pulled out the shaker and got to work. The whole thing is a riff on the Hotel Boulderado’s recent seasonal cocktail, the Simone. Lemon, ginger, and bourbon really do go nicely together. Instead of Domaine de Canton, we went for Marble Distilling’s gingercello, which turned out to be sweeter and less gingery. I added a tiny bit of ginger purée for extra zing. Topping off the cocktail with some dry lemon or grapefruit soda makes it lighter and slightly effervescent.

The cocktail name refers to a mix-up that occurred when I was volunteering to take grocery orders for a nonprofit that delivers to the elderly. One of my favorite clients called asking for “medicinal alcohol.” I responded that I didn’t think the grocery store sold that, thinking she was meant hard liquor. Turns out she just needed a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

When we realized the misunderstanding, we both laughed — the kind of long laughter where you wheeze a bit and then say, “Oh, that was good! I haven’t laughed like that in a while.”

My cocktail named in honor of that interaction can’t protect against serious illness, end discrimination, or usher in world peace. But sipping some felt much better than succumbing to fear. So, whatever your drink of choice, cheers to your good health, happiness, and many more wonderful adventures.

Medicinal Alcohol

Makes 1 cocktail

2 tsp. original elderberry syrup
⅛ tsp. puréed ginger (optional)
1 oz. ginger liqueur
1 oz. bourbon
Lemon peel garnish
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 ice cubes
Dry lemon or grapefruit soda

Curl the lemon peel and put the garnish in a white wine glass.

In the base of a cocktail shaker, add the elderberry syrup, ginger purée, ginger liqueur, bourbon, lemon juice, and ice cubes. Cover and shake for 15 seconds.

Strain into the wine glass and top off with a little soda.