This simple Radiant 5-Ingredient Golden Hour Cocktail, featuring Lillet Blanc, St Germain Elderflower liqueur, fresh squeezed orange juice and black walnut bitters, is clean, light and elegant.
The recipe can be prepared as a single serving or easily increased for a group of four or more. If you’re looking for a simple brunch cocktail to serve over the holidays – or any day for that matter – this recipe is a lovely sip of sunshine in a coupe glass.
Jump to RecipeWhat is Lillet Blanc and why do I need it in this recipe?
Lillet Blanc is an aperitif. You’ll often find this fortified wine in the vermouth section of your neighborhood wine shop or liquor store, but it’s really something unique. Typically, Lillet Blanc is used in mixed cocktails, or served well chilled over ice. Slightly sweet with delicate citrus notes, it’s absolutely lovely. Mixed with seltzer, it’s a very light and refreshing beverage to sip on in the summer.
It is also somewhat delicate. Wine-based aperitifs are meant to be finished soon after they are opened. Once exposed to air, they will begin to oxidize – their flavor and color will degrade very quickly. For this reason, I will not keep an opened bottle for more than a week or two, tops.
If you can’t finish the bottle the day it’s opened, it’s best to store it in the refrigerator tightly sealed. If you have a vacuum sealing cork, use it. You’ll get the longest life out of the wine that way. But again, these wines are meant to be finished soon after opening.
For this reason, I will often plan a menu that includes a cocktail or a dessert – like my cannoli creme crepe cake – that I can make using the wine so as not to waste it. Or just invite some friends over to help you empty the bottle.
A quick word on the differences between sparkling, soda and tonic waters – they’re not interchangeable
This easy brunch cocktail recipe calls for sparkling water. If you already have a bottle of club soda or tonic water in the cupboard, you may be tempted to substitute one of these mixers instead, but don’t. Although all three are fizzy and refreshing, there are significant differences that prevent them from being interchangeable in this recipe.
- Tonic Water. In addition to being sweetened (either with real sugar or artificially) tonic water also contains citric acid, sodium benzoate and quinine. Tonic gives a bitter flavor to beverages, which is great if you’re mixing it with gin, but it doesn’t work at all with the wine and elderflower liqueur in this recipe.
- Soda Water. Also known as Club Soda, Soda Water is another mixer commonly used in drinks. It’s a blend of carbonated water with sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and potassium sulfate. Because of the added sodium in Soda Water (Club Soda) it’s not a suitable substitute. As you know, I like to test out everything when I develop a recipe to see if substitutions will work. The elevated sodium levels makes this drink too salty.
- Sparkling Water. You’ll see Sparkling Water also referred to as Seltzer. You want a plain seltzer or sparkling water for this recipe. Plain seltzer is water with added carbonation to make it bubbly, but there’s no added salt or flavorings. We want the delicate flavors of the Lillet Blanc, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur and fresh orange juice to shine through. For this reason, Sparkling Water (plain seltzer) is the only option for this Radiant 5-Ingredient Golden Hour Cocktail.
Use only sparkling water (plain seltzer) in this drink and you’ll mix a perfectly delicious brunch cocktail every time.
What are black walnut bitters and do I really need them?
Bitters are tiny bottles of potent spirits that have been infused with botanicals and spices. Unless you’re like my husband who loves aggressive flavors, you won’t be inclined to throw back a teaspoon, much less a few drops of bitters at a time. As their name implies, they impart a very strong, bitter flavor.
You may be wondering why I would include a few drops of bitters in this brunch cocktail recipe at all. Well, in short, not only do they impart another layer of flavor to cocktails, bitters also bring balance to the drink overall.
Most cocktails are a blend of sweet and sour. Bitters add complexity to the flavor profile of a drink. Black walnut bitters add a rustic, nutty quality to this beverage and pair well with the citrus notes of the fresh squeezed orange juice. They add a touch of warmth to this golden hour cocktail. In this recipe I used Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters, which you can easily find at your local wine and spirits shop.
You can leave them out, but they really make the drink so much more interesting. I strongly encourage you to do a side-by-side taste test of the drink before adding the bitters and after so you can note the difference.
I recommend starting with two drops of the walnut bitters before adding a third. I usually run a bit more conservative with bitters, but I like how a third drop plays in this mix. Start with two drops, and if you find you like it, try a third.
Keep it simple with this Radiant 5-Ingredient Golden Hour Cocktail for better brunching
Whether I’m planning a weekend breakfast for two or brunch for group, I like to keep it simple. This brunch cocktail mixes up so quick it definitely lends itself to a simple, but elegant menu. The weekend should be a time of relaxation and restoration. A brunch should be enjoyable – something you look back on later in the week with a smile. Not another item on a list you need to check off. So, keep it simple and enjoy the golden hour and the company you share it with.
Radiant 5-Ingredient Golden Hour Cocktail
Course: BeverageCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutesRatios for a single serving or a batch that serves four is provided below.
Ingredients
- Single Serving
2 ounces Lillet Blanc
1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice, strained of seeds
3/4 ounce St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2-3 drops black walnut bitters
Ice for shaking
2 ounces plain seltzer water
- Ratios for Four Servings
8 ounces (1 cup) Lillet Blanc
4 ounces (1/2 cup) fresh squeezed orange juice, strained
3 ounces St. Germain (a smidge over 1/3 cup)
8 ounces (1 cup) plain seltzer water
Ice for shaking
8-12 drops of black walnut bitters
Optional – a twist of orange peel or wedge to garnish
Directions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with approximately 1 cup of ice. Add the Lillet, orange juice, St. Germain and bitters. Cover and shake for approximately 10 seconds.
- Remove the top and stir in the seltzer.
- Add the top back onto the shaker and strain the drink into a chilled glass and serve. Garnish as desired.
- If you are mixing for a larger group, switch to a pitcher to accommodate the additional liquid and pour the mix through a strainer alternatively.
Notes
- Why can’t I just add the seltzer to the shaker with the other ingredients instead of making it a separate step? When shaking, the seltzer will bubble up through the seal of the shaker. I have tried this with 5 different shakers, and all leaked a little of the golden hour cocktail through the cap and seal due to the carbonation. Take the extra step.
