Low · sparkling
Elderflower fizz
The Hugo, made the kitchen way: elderflower, prosecco, soda and a handful of mint. Light, floral, and gone in a round.
- Pour
- 140 ml
- Strength
- Low
- Best for
- Garden parties, Weddings, Brunch
- Season
- Spring, Summer
- Fizz
- Added at the door
- Ahead
- Jug ahead, top at the door
The welcome pour
One glass, 140 ml
Wine glass over ice. Garnish: a mint sprig and a wedge of lime.
The spec, according to Difford's Guide: the Hugo spritz is eight mint leaves, 40 ml elderflower liqueur, 60 ml soda and 60 ml prosecco over ice in a wine glass with a lime wedge. It was created in June 2005 by Roland Gruber at his bar in Naturno, South Tyrol. Our version swaps the liqueur for elderflower cordial, which is what most kitchens have, at 20 ml because cordial is a concentrate.
| Ingredient | Per glass | When |
|---|---|---|
| Elderflower cordial (undiluted) | 20 ml (0.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Prosecco | 60 ml (2 fl oz) | at the door |
| Soda water | 60 ml (2 fl oz) | at the door |
| Mint leaves | 4 | in the jug |
The jug
How much for your party
One welcome drink per guest plus a 15% spare. Sparkling wine and soda are counted here but stay in the fridge until the door.
| Ingredient | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Elderflower cordial (undiluted) | 280 ml 9.5 fl oz | in the jug |
| Prosecco 2 × 750 ml bottles | 850 ml 28.5 fl oz | at the door |
| Soda water 1 × 1 L bottle | 850 ml 28.5 fl oz | at the door |
| Mint leaves | 56 | in the jug |
| The jug holds 280 ml (9.5 fl oz), which is 1 1.5-litre jug filled to 85%. Added per glass at the door: 1.7 L in all. | ||
Make it
In the jug, then at the door
Ahead. Cordial in the jug at 20 ml a head, with the mint leaves torn into it an hour before so they scent it. Chill the prosecco and soda.
At the door. Ice in a wine glass, 20 ml cordial and a few mint leaves from the jug, 60 ml prosecco, 60 ml soda, a wedge of lime squeezed and dropped in.
Keeps. Cordial keeps for months. Mint wilts, so add it on the day.
- Pick a good cordial: the ones made from real flowers taste of elderflower, the cheap ones taste of sugar. Undiluted, 20 ml a glass is plenty.
- Rinse the mint and tear the leaves into the cordial jug an hour ahead. Do not chop them; bruised mint goes bitter.
- Chill the prosecco and the soda. Cut the limes into wedges.
- At the door: ice, cordial and mint, prosecco, soda, lime. Give it a single stir.
The alcohol-free twin
Elderflower soda
Lyre's, the alcohol-free spirits company, makes its Hugo with an alcohol-free sparkling wine, elderflower syrup and soda. Ours keeps it simpler and cheaper: the same cordial and mint, topped with soda alone, the classic English garden drink.
Ice, cordial and mint, soda, lime wedge. Use a wine glass so it matches the original on the tray.
Reference: lyres.com
| Ingredient | Per glass | When |
|---|---|---|
| Elderflower cordial (undiluted) | 20 ml (0.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Soda water | 120 ml (4 fl oz) | at the door |
| Mint leaves | 4 | in the jug |
Why it works at the door
Elderflower fizz, in three paragraphs
The Hugo is younger than most people think: a South Tyrolean bartender, Roland Gruber, put it together in 2005 as an alternative to the spritz, first with lemon balm syrup and then with elderflower. It has since spread across the Alps into Austria and Germany, where it now competes with the spritz itself.
For a host it is the most forgiving sparkling drink here. Elderflower cordial is cheap, keeps for months and needs no squeezing. The mint and lime make it look like effort. And it is low in alcohol, so it works at a garden party that starts at two in the afternoon.
Difford's makes it with elderflower liqueur, St-Germain or similar, at 40 ml. The liqueur is lovely and expensive; for forty guests it is also a bottle and a half. Cordial at 20 ml gives the same flavour for a fraction of the cost, and the drink loses a little alcohol, which at a welcome round is no loss at all.
Questions hosts ask
Cordial or liqueur?
Either. Difford's Hugo uses 40 ml of elderflower liqueur; we use 20 ml of undiluted cordial because it is cheaper, easier to find and just as fragrant. If you use the liqueur, add it in place of the cordial at 40 ml.
How much prosecco per guest?
60 ml a glass, half of what a spritz uses, so a 750 ml bottle pours twelve. For 30 guests with a spare, three bottles.
Can I make it in a jug?
Only the cordial and mint. Prosecco and soda are added per glass at the door; a jug of Hugo is flat in ten minutes.
Next to it on the tray