Elderflower Pressé

I've always had an unnatural passion for all things British. When I was 14, and saw the BBC production of Romeo and Juliet, I swooned — in the swoony swoon way that only a 14-year-old girl can do — for the young man who played Romeo. I swear, I started reading Shakespeare only because Patrick Ryecart was so cute. (Luckily, I kept reading for other reasons.) The Beatles, Brideshead Revisited, bangers and mash — if it was British, I loved it.

After living in Great Britain twice, my passion became calmed when swirled with the real-life details of maddening traffic on the South Circular Road, only 3 television channels (and one of them played a test card of a girl with a clown from midnight until 9), and the not-pleasant surprise of apple pies baked without sugar. At 16, my vision of the place matured beyond swoony swoon.

I love all things British even more for that, now.

My friend Kairu loves the British things too. Last week, for a party, she brought bottles of this Elderflower Presse by Belvoir Fruit Farms. She admitted that she first read about elderflower cordial in a British novel she bought at the airport to keep herself occupied. I'm glad that she had to read a trashy book. That means I've experienced this drink.

Slightly fruity, with a hint of citrus, this drink is subtle. It's not soda. It's not sparkling water. It's not overly sweet. It is delicious. Elderflowers feel very British and Victorian, don't they? Their taste, however, is quite modern. Floral and faint, not enough to assert, just enough to please. I'm hooked.

Danny doesn't drink and I rarely do. Finding interesting non-alcoholic beverages is somewhat difficult, however. This elderflower cordial has the feeling of fine wine, without the alcohol.

And of course, it's gluten-free.

Belvoir Fruit Farms makes a series of appetizing-sounding drinks: cranberry pressé, lime and lemongrass pressé, and cucumber-mint-and-geranium blossom pressé.

Of course, shipping from the UK can be pricey here in the US. Our friend Kairu buys her elderflower pressé by the case at Big John's PFI, here in Seattle.

If you try some, let us know where you found it and what you think.