Perfect Summer Cocktail Guide: Berries and Blossom

Celebrating Czech Ingredients, One Cocktail at a Time

At SOOT bar in Manifesto Anděl, every cocktail is created with purpose. It’s not just about mixing drinks, it’s about telling a story through flavor. The bartenders here approach each recipe like a craft, carefully selecting ingredients that are fresh, seasonal, and full of character. Whether it’s the fruit, the herbs, or the spirits, every element plays a role in balancing flavor, aroma, and presentation. The result? Cocktails that aren’t just tasty, but memorable.

One of the highlights of the season is the Berries and Blossom, a sweet-and-tart refresher built on the harmony of gin, raspberry, and elderflower which captures Manifesto Market’s commitment to local ingredients, a philosophy SOOT Bar takes to heart. Elderflowers, which bloom abundantly in Czech springtime, are the base of a house-made syrup—many locals know the recipe by heart, but if not, you’ll find it below. Later in the season, ripe raspberries are transformed into syrup, becoming a key component of this signature drink. Their brightness and tang also make them perfect for summer lemonades, and in this case, they’re a cornerstone of the cocktail’s flavor.

This cocktail, like everything on the menu at SOOT, is more than just a drink, it’s designed to enhance your experience at Manifesto. Whether you’re lounging by the dipping pool in the sun or enjoying an evening under the string lights, it’s the kind of cocktail that feels just right in the moment: fresh, thoughtfully made, and full of flavor.

It’s more than just a cocktail, it’s a taste of Czech summer in a glass.

 

Berries and Blossom: A Taste of Czech Summer

Raspberries are a Czech countryside staple, growing in forests and orchards of Beskydy and Šumava. Not only are they packed with vitamins C and E, but they also deliver the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

At SOOT Bar, the drink is elevated with Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret, a gin with delicate notes of stone fruit—like peaches—and a soft floral aroma that pairs beautifully with elderflower. Added to that are homemade raspberry and elderflower syrups, plus Vegg white, a plant-based alternative to egg white. All ingredients are shaken with ice, double-strained into a highball glass over fresh ice, and topped with tonic. The tonic’s gentle bitterness balances the sweeter notes and leaves a crisp, lingering raspberry finish.

 

Raspberry Syrup recipe

Combine 1 kg raspberries (fresh or frozen), 500 g sugar, 600 ml water, and 100 ml lemon juice in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Skim any foam. Remove from heat, stir in 5 g citric acid, let cool, strain through a cloth, and bottle. Store chilled.

Elderflower Syrup recipe

Add 30–40 elderflower heads and 2 sliced lemons to 2 liters of cold water. Cover and let steep for 24 hours in a cool place. Strain through a cloth the next day. To the liquid, add 2 kg sugar and 30 g citric acid. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved. Skim any foam. Let it cool slightly, pour into clean bottles, and store chilled.

Berries and Blossom recipe

• 45 ml Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret gin
• 20 ml raspberry syrup
• 10 ml elderflower syrup
• 20 ml Vegg white (vegan egg white alternative)
• Tonic, to top
• Garnish: powdered freeze-dried raspberries

 

Method:

Shake gin, raspberry and elderflower syrups, and Vegg white with ice to chill and blend the flavors. Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice to ensure ideal dilution and a visually stunning pour. Top with tonic. Garnish with a dusting of crushed freeze-dried raspberries for an aromatic finish (you can crush them in a mortar or even by hand for a rustic effect).

This cocktail has a sweet-tart balance from homemade syrups with subtle floral and fruity aroma from the gin and raspberries. It’s light, bubbly and refreshing thanks to the tonic.

 

 

Written by Alexa Spano