Dear Friend

Name: Dear Friend
Ingredients: 2 oz Lilac Vodka; .75 oz Acid-corrected Gooseberry Juice; .5 oz Vanilla Syrup

+ 8 Likes

By Cathleen Gillette

Submitted on: April 15, 2025

Refreshing

Seasonal

This is the 1st of 5 cocktails I made for my Book of the Month cocktail popup: Blood of Elves (Witcher) edition. Inspired by Yennefer, and her scathing letter to Geralt, this sour featured lilac, gooseberries, and vanilla for an almost perfume-like beverage.

Ingredients

2 oz
Lilac Vodka

.75 oz
Acid-corrected Gooseberry Juice

.5 oz
Vanilla Syrup

Tools

Shaking Tins

Instructions

Garnish

Coffee Filter

Build

Shake & Strain

Glass

Nick & Nora

Estimated strength

About 21% ABV (estimate)

By Cathleen Gillette

Cocktail Bartender

Hi there! I’m Cat and I got my bartending start in Columbus, Ohio. I really love creating new drinks to match different themes, seasons, and palates. I also love traveling, and am currently working at a cozy cocktail spot in Taipei! Hopefully I can add more countries to the list in the future ;) Enjoy the drinks I’ve shared - cheers!...

Other Recipes by Cathleen Gillette

Garden Party

Amidala

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For the lilac vodka: For each 750 ml bottle of vodka, use 3-4 fresh lilac flower heads. Sous vide at 60 degrees Celsius for 2 hours. Acid-corrected gooseberry juice: Add 3% citric acid and 2% malic acid by weight in grams to the gooseberry juice. Stir to dissolve. Vanilla syrup: Place a whole Madagascar vanilla bean pod in a kilogram of sugar. Let it sit in an airtight container for at least one week. Use sugar to make a 1:1 simple syrup. Combine all ingredients and shake and strain into ...

Editor's Note

Lilac-infused vodka meets acid-corrected gooseberry juice in this aromatic, perfume-like sour. A sophisticated, thematic build that balances floral elegance with sharp, bright fruit.

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