Celebrate the merry month of May with this fragrant sweet woodruff cocktail!
Cheers to the merry month of May! The first day of May has long been celebrated by raising a glass of May wine, or Maibowle, flavoured with fragrant sweet woodruff. Accordingly, this woodruff cocktail is perfect for your May Day celebrations.
Sweet Woodruff – Master of the Forest
This shade-loving perennial is a native across Europe. Generally, it grows wild or as a ground cover. Tiny white flowers bloom in the spring and fragrant green leaves release their sweet aroma. In German, woodruff is called Waldmeister, or Master of the Forest. May wine, or maibowle, is a traditional drink enjoyed around May Day and is made by steeping fresh woodruff leaves in wine.
Woodruff is an aromatic herb with many benefits. Its flavour is similar to fresh hay with hints of vanilla. Historically, it was used to treat a whole host of ailments most notably digestive issues and for use as a diuretic. More often today dried sweet woodruff is used for flavour or as a fragrance in perfume.
A note of caution: While sweet woodruff is safe when used in small doses, it does contain anticoagulant properties. Anyone with a bleeding disorder or on blood thinners should avoid using it.
Ingredients
Sweet woodruff: Finding fresh woodruff might be a bit of a challenge in North America. While it has been transplanted here to some degree, it certainly isn’t very widespread. Nevertheless, you can find dried sweet woodruff easily online – it is often sold as tea. Shop sweet woodruff.
Gin: With its botanical profile, gin is the ideal spirit to pair with a sweet woodruff cocktail. If possible, choose a gin with floral notes – a strong juniper forward gin might overpower the delicate sweet woodruff flavour. Hendricks or The Botanist are both excellent options.
Dry vermouth: Vermouth is a fortified wine. It is infused with various botanicals and can be both dry and sweet. For this cocktail choose a dry vermouth, such as Martini & Rossi.
Lemon juice: As always, fresh lemon juice adds an acidic note that balances this cocktail.
How to Make Sweet Woodruff Cocktail
Make the Woodruff Syrup
In a saucepan combine the water and sugar. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to completely dissolve the sugar. After that, add the dried sweet woodruff and let simmer for another minute. Then, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 20-30 minutes.
Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer. The dried sweet woodruff might have small particles that pass through the strainer. If that is the case, then pour the syrup through a coffee filter. This will remove any tiny specks and create a clear syrup.
Let cool before using. The syrup will keep for up to a month in the fridge.
Make the Sweet Woodruff Cocktail
In a cocktail shaker add the gin, dry vermouth, sweet woodruff syrup, and lemon juice. Add ice, then cover and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with fresh flowers if desired and enjoy!
More Floral Cocktails
If you love using spring flowers in your cocktails then try these:
