This peach elderflower spritz is a seasonal balm for Sacramento’s summer heat

The Abridged version:

• This Cooking in Season drink recipe leans into Sacramento’s signature summer heat with a beloved stone fruit: peaches.
• A riff on a Hugo spritz, it combines extra-ripe yellow peaches, elderflower liqueur and prosecco to create a refreshing, low-ABV beverage.
• Zoe Barrie’s 15-minute recipe calls for peaches two ways: cooked into a base and adorning wine glasses as a fresh garnish.

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This is Cooking in Season, a biweekly series from local recipe developer Zoe Barrie using seasonal produce available at Sacramento-area farmers markets. 

While summer has historically been defined by the influx of fruits and vegetables, patio dining and vacations, in recent years, it has acquired another hallmark: “spritz season.”

Deeply rooted in European aperitivo culture — Italian pre-dinner drinks and social rituals designed to stimulate the appetite — spritzes of all kinds have pervaded the United States. From the widely recognized Aperol spritz to the fast-rising Hugo spritz, they’ve become the quintessential summer beverage. Low in ABV, refreshing and incredibly aesthetic (necessary for social media), it’s easy to understand the allure.

Better yet, they’re easy to serve when entertaining. Set out a few bottles of prosecco, various liqueurs (and/or bases), garnishes and plenty of ice, and you’re likely in for a fun evening.

Peach Elderflower Spritz

Total Time: 15 minutes

This recipe builds on the classic Hugo spritz, featuring elderflower liqueur — a sweet and delicate liqueur with subtle notes of lychee, pear and peach. A Hugo spritz is traditionally finished with mint sprigs and lime slices, but this version takes a turn by leaning into seasonal peaches, using them both fresh and cooked. The peach elderflower base yields enough for two spritzes, but can easily be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled, if batch-making for entertaining.

Ingredients

Peach Elderflower Base (makes about 6 ounces)

½ very ripe yellow peach, pitted and roughly chopped (about 2 ounces)

2 to 3 tablespoons water

4 ounces elderflower liqueur (such as St-Germain)

Juice of ½ lemon (about ¾ ounce)

Peach Elderflower Spritz (1 serving)

Ice

3 ounces prosecco

3 ounces peach elderflower base

Club soda, to finish

Fresh peach slices, for garnish

Instructions

Step 1

In a small saucepan, combine the chopped peach and 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the peach softens and the water is absorbed, about 4 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to mash the peach, then continue cooking until the mixture appears jammy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Step 2
Prepare the peach elderflower base: Transfer the cooked peach mixture to a high-speed blender. Add the elderflower liqueur and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Step 3

Fill a wine glass with ice. Add the peach elderflower base and prosecco. Top with 1 to 2 ounces of club soda, or to taste, and garnish with one to two slices of fresh peach.

Zoe Barrie is the writer and recipe developer behind Cooking in Season, a biweekly Abridged by PBS KVIE column featuring recipes made from the Sacramento region’s seasonal produce. She runs the popular Substack page Restaurant Dropout and previously worked in Bay Area restaurants after graduating from culinary school.