A Hugo Spritz is most often made with elderflower liqueur, sparkling wine, soda water, fresh mint and lime, poured over ice in a wine glass. It is easy to make at home once you have the right bottle. This guide gives the build in millilitres, the serve from the maison behind Suro, the elderflower liqueurs in our liqueur range side by side, and gin and alcohol-free versions. If you are buying for a Hugo fan this Christmas, each bottle below says who it suits.
Quick picks
- Suro Elderflower Liqueur at 20 per cent: the Burgundy elderflower liqueur with its own signature spritz serve, for the Hugo fan who would like a bottle worth keeping on the bar.
- Gabriel Boudier Fleur de Sureau at 18 per cent: the Dijon house's standard elderflower liqueur, for someone who makes Hugos for guests over summer.
- Vedrenne Elderflower Syrup: a syrup rather than a liqueur, for the person who wants the Hugo flavour without the liqueur or the wine.
What is in a Hugo Spritz
Five things: an elderflower liqueur for the flavour, a sparkling wine for the body, soda water to lengthen it, and fresh mint and lime to lift it. Briottet, one of the Dijon liqueur houses below, describes its Hugo as elderflower liqueur with Crémant de Bourgogne rather than prosecco, sparkling water, fresh mint leaves and slices of lime. Prosecco is the more familiar base in Australia, and both work.
Producers give the parts, not a fixed measure, so here is the build we use for one glass:
- 30 ml elderflower liqueur
- 90 ml sparkling wine
- 30 ml soda water
- a few mint leaves and a slice of lime
Fill a wine glass with ice. Add the liqueur, then the sparkling wine, then the soda, and stir once, gently, so the bubbles survive. Slap the mint between your palms to wake it up before it goes in, and add the lime last. Taste the first one before you make more: if it is too floral for you, add soda, not more wine. Every bottle's label shows its standard drinks, and that is the number to go by when you are pouring for a group.
The maison serve with Suro
What Suro is. Suro Elderflower Liqueur comes from Maison Gabriel Boudier in Dijon, and the maison lists it at 20 per cent. The maison describes it as a French liqueur crafted from elderflower blossoms and "handcrafted in Burgundy". Its own tasting notes run to fresh elderflower with notes of pear and grapefruit zest, lemongrass and honeysuckle with a light citrus hint on the palate, and a long floral finish. The maison lists "balanced sweetness" among its qualities.
The serve. Suro's own signature spritz is one part Suro to two parts Crémant de Bourgogne, with a splash of sparkling water, over ice in a wine glass, garnished with a lemon twist and elderflower. In millilitres, that is:
- 30 ml Suro
- 60 ml crémant
- a splash of soda water
- a lemon twist
Fill the glass with ice, pour the Suro, add the crémant and stir gently, then top with soda and garnish with the lemon twist. Note the differences from the mint and lime version: less wine, lemon instead of lime, and no mint. It is the maison's own serve, and the one to make first if the bottle is new to you.
The stocked alternative to Crémant de Bourgogne. We do not stock a Crémant de Bourgogne, so for this serve we use Kientzler Crémant d'Alsace as the stand-in. It is a different appellation from the one the maison names. Crémant d'Alsace is made by the traditional method: the appellation rules require the second fermentation to take place in the bottle, followed by at least nine months on lees.
Who Suro suits. The Hugo fan who already owns the glasses and the mint plant, and would like a bottle whose maker gives it a signature spritz of its own. It is also a good-looking present: the maison points to the vertical fluting and the golden elderflower etched into the glass. Put a bottle of Kientzler beside it and you have everything for the serve, with Crémant d'Alsace standing in for the Crémant de Bourgogne.
Making a Hugo without St-Germain: four elderflower liqueurs
"Hugo Spritz without St-Germain" is a common search. Any good elderflower liqueur makes a Hugo. These are the four in our range, each described in its producer's own words.
Suro, for the signature serve. Suro at 20 per cent, covered above. Choose it when you want to follow the maison's crémant serve exactly.
Gabriel Boudier Fleur de Sureau, for the everyday Hugo. Gabriel Boudier Fleur de Sureau at 18 per cent is the same Dijon house's standard elderflower liqueur. Boudier calls it one of the most floral references in its range, made by macerating elderflowers to keep the floral bouquet, and suggests it for cocktails built on sparkling wine, white wine, rosé, gin or vodka. It suits the person who makes Hugos for guests over the holidays and wants one bottle that does the lot.
Vedrenne, for lychee and rose. Vedrenne Liqueur de Fleur de Sureau at 20 per cent comes from the Burgundy liqueur house established in 1923 in Nuits-Saint-Georges. Vedrenne says the flower aromas are extracted in water to keep their freshness, and describes a nose of floral and fruity notes with lychee, rose and a hint of citrus. It suits the drinker who likes lychee and rose notes in a Hugo.
Briottet, the one its maker calls indispensable for the Hugo. Briottet Elderflower Liqueur at 18 per cent is from a family liqueur house in Dijon. Briottet launched it in 2013, makes it from a maceration of fresh elderflowers with its own aromatic blend, and calls it indispensable for the Hugo spritz. Its Hugo suggestion is the crémant, mint and lime version described above. It suits the Hugo purist who wants the bottle its maker calls indispensable for this drink.
Several of these are also in our guide to types of liqueur, which puts elderflower in context with the other flower and fruit liqueurs.
Which bubbles: prosecco, crémant or cava
Any good sparkling wine works. The choice changes the character of the drink more than most people expect.
Prosecco. The Prosecco DOC consortium names Glera as the traditional grape and describes the Martinotti method, where the second fermentation happens in large sealed tanks. Lamberti Prosecco DOC Extra Dry is the easy, familiar Hugo base, and Loredan Gasparini Prosecco is a second option. More are in Prosecco.
Crémant. Made by the traditional method with the second fermentation in the bottle, as covered above. Kientzler Crémant d'Alsace is the one to use for the Suro serve.
Cava. The Cava designation of origin also uses the traditional method. Pere Ventura Organic Cava is the pick for someone who prefers cava to prosecco.
The full range is in Sparkling Wine.
The gin Hugo
A gin Hugo takes some of the liqueur out and puts gin in. Bluecoat American Elderflower Gin is made in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Distilling, which says it is its classic American Dry Gin with organic elderflower infused by maceration, for a light floral taste. That makes it a natural fit. Our build:
- 20 ml Bluecoat Elderflower Gin
- 20 ml elderflower liqueur
- 80 ml prosecco
- 30 ml soda water
- mint and a slice of lime
Build it over ice in a wine glass as above. Bluecoat also lists the French 75 among its cocktails. The International Bartenders Association's official French 75 is 30 ml gin, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml sugar syrup, shaken and strained into a Champagne flute, then topped with 60 ml Champagne. Made with the elderflower gin, it is a Christmas Day alternative for the same person. Bluecoat Elderflower suits the gin drinker who has come round to the Hugo; for more gin to give, see our gin gift guide and gin styles explained.
The alcohol-free Hugo
For the alcohol-free version, swap the liqueur for syrup and the wine for more soda. Vedrenne Elderflower Syrup is described by its maker as very fragrant and fresh, slightly acidic, with notes of muscat and lychee. Our build:
- 20 ml Vedrenne Elderflower Syrup
- 150 ml soda water
- mint and a slice of lime
Stir over ice in a wine glass and adjust the syrup to taste. It suits the driver, the designated host, or anyone skipping alcohol at Christmas lunch, and it is served in the same glass with the same garnish. Other cordials are in Syrups.
Giving a bottle to a Hugo fan
The simplest present for someone who loves this drink is the liqueur and the wine together: Suro with a bottle of Kientzler Crémant d'Alsace covers the maison serve, with the Alsace crémant as our stand-in for the Burgundy one. For a household that entertains a lot over summer, the Boudier Fleur de Sureau with a prosecco is the everyday pairing. Our Christmas cocktails for an Australian summer has more drinks to make with the same bottles, and our spirits gift guide matches bottles to other people on your list.
Where to start
- A Hugo fan's present: Suro Elderflower Liqueur with Kientzler Crémant d'Alsace.
- Hugos for guests: Gabriel Boudier Fleur de Sureau with Lamberti Prosecco.
- Lychee and rose notes: Vedrenne Liqueur de Fleur de Sureau.
- The bottle its maker calls indispensable for the Hugo: Briottet Elderflower Liqueur.
- The gin drinker: Bluecoat American Elderflower Gin.
- No alcohol: Vedrenne Elderflower Syrup.
- Cava instead of prosecco: Pere Ventura Organic Cava.
Every elderflower liqueur we carry is on our Liqueurs page, and we deliver to every Australian state and the ACT.