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Verjus, elderflower, sparkling water, lemon. A two-ingredient cocktail that drinks like a glass of crisp white wine — and it's nothing but unripe grape juice and a flower.

Verjus was the primary acid of European cooking from the Roman Empire through the 1700s — used everywhere lemon juice is used today. It fell out of fashion when colonial citrus imports made lemons cheap. Modern bartenders rediscovered verjus in the late 2010s as the Free Pour equivalent of dry vermouth — soft acid, structural backbone, no harsh edges.

Ingredients

• Verjus (white)1½ ounces
• Elderflower Cordial½ ounce
• Sparkling Water4 ounces
• Lemon Twist1 each

Directions

Combine verjus and elderflower cordial in a large wine glass. Fill with ice. Top with chilled sparkling water. Stir gently. Garnish with a lemon twist and a grape if available.

Notes

Verjus (French for 'green juice') is the juice of unripe grapes, harvested mid-season. It's tart like vinegar but with the soft tannin of wine. Wölffer Estate makes excellent American verjus; French and Italian producers also export it. Whole Foods carries it; better grocers always do.