There's a moment every September when the hedgerows near our East Lothian home turn a deep, inky purple, and we know exactly what we'll be doing for the next few weeks: hand-harvesting elderberries for our Scottish elderberry liqueur range. All 3,000-odd berries per bottle, picked one at a time, because that's simply what it takes.
We could use a machine. We could use less fruit. Both would make our lives considerably easier, and our backs considerably happier. But the elder tree has been rewarding people who bother to pay it proper attention for roughly 5,000 years, and we weren't about to be the ones who stopped.
An ancient obsession
Elderberry isn't a trend we've jumped on - it's one of the oldest ingredients in the herbal cabinet. It turns up in the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical text from around 1550 BCE, and Hippocrates himself - the "Father of Medicine" and not a man prone to exaggeration - reportedly called the elder tree his own personal medicine chest. The Romans boiled the berries in wine (partly for the flavour, partly, bizarrely, as a hair dye), and generations of European folk healers turned to elderflower and elderberry as their go-to autumn tonic, brewed into teas, cordials and wines to see out the colder months.
Native American communities across dozens of nations have their own long traditions with the plant, too. However you slice it, precious few ingredients have been this quietly essential to this many people for this long. (We'll say it plainly: that's history and folklore, not a health claim - we make elderberry liqueur, not medicine. But it's a heritage worth raising a glass to.)
What does elderberry liqueur taste like - and why does it work so well?
Cooked elderberries have a flavour that's hard to pin down and easy to fall for: tart, deep and almost wine-dark, with an earthiness that plays beautifully against sweetness. That's exactly why the berry has spent centuries turning up in wines, cordials and liqueurs across Europe - it doesn't need to be dressed up. It just needs the space to do its thing.
It's also why elderberry is one of the most naturally versatile ingredients we work with. Its richness holds its own served neat, like a port. Its tartness cuts through in a spritz or long mixed serve. And its depth means it plays well with almost anything you put next to it - bramble and apple, sour cherry and cacao, ginger and orange. We know, because we've tried all four in our own Elder range, and each one earned its place.
From hedgerow to bottle: our Elder range
Every bottle in our Elder range starts the same way: hand-harvested elderberries, picked at their ripest, close to home on the East Lothian coast. From there, the same fruit takes on a different character depending on what it's introduced to.
Elder Berry is where it began for us - elderberry and wild herbs, rich and smooth enough to sip neat, but equally happy shaken into a cocktail.
Elder Orchard pairs the berries with bramble and apple for something sweeter, fresher and tangier - built for spritzes and long summer afternoons.
Elder Black Forest leans into sour cherry and dark cacao, a combination that's as indulgent as it sounds.
Elder Spiced brings in ginger and orange for a warming glow that's made for the colder months, when a fresh, hedgerow-tart drink suddenly needs a jumper on.
How to drink elderberry liqueur
There's no single "right" way, and we'd never gatekeep it. Sip our elderberry liqueur neat, like a port, to let the full richness come through. Shake it into a cocktail for a fruity, food-friendly base note. Or pour it over ice with a good tonic or soda for something long, low-key and genuinely sessionable - a serve that fits neatly into today's appetite for lighter, more natural drinks.
A flavour worth the effort
None of this is the easy way to make a liqueur. It would be simpler to buy in concentrate, skip the harvest, and call it a day. But the elder tree has spent thousands of years proving that it rewards people who take the time to actually pick it, and we're not about to argue with that kind of track record.
So next September, when you notice the hedgerows turning that deep, telltale purple, spare a thought for us. We'll be out there, picking away, one berry at a time - and our backs, frankly, will be feeling it.
FAQs
What does elderberry liqueur taste like? Rich, tart and almost wine-dark, with an earthy depth that balances sweetness. It's intensely fruity rather than sugary, which is why it works equally well sipped neat or mixed.
How should I drink elderberry liqueur? Neat over ice like a port, shaken into a cocktail, or lengthened with tonic or soda for a lighter, more sessionable serve.
Is elderberry liqueur the same as elderberry syrup or cordial? No - elderberry syrups and cordials are non-alcoholic, while elderberry liqueur is a spirit-based drink built for sipping and mixing rather than as a health remedy.
Where do your elderberries come from? Every berry is hand-harvested from hedgerows close to our home on the East Lothian coast of Scotland, picked fresh each September.
